The Wright Glider
History's 1st Controlled Glider Flight
Ingeniously, the rudder of the glider was connected to the hip-operated wing-warping mechanism, turning the nose into the direction of flight.
Wingspan: 32'
Length: 16'1" - Height: 8'
Weight: 117 lbs.
Range: 500-600 ft.
Usage: 700-1,000 test flights
First Flight: September 23, 1902 |
WWI Fighters
How do you fire a machine gun without blowing off the propeller?
German designer Fokker added an interrupter gear that timed the firing of the gun to that of the engine. (The French attached steel plates to protect the propeller blades!)
 Sopwith Pup
Pilots valued the Pup because it was simple, reliable and easy to fly. Its
large wing area gave it a good rate of climb and agility was enhanced by
ailerons being fitted on all four wings. It was underpowered and under armed
compared to its contemporaries including the German Albatross D.III, but was
much more maneuverable than the Albatross, especially over 15,000 ft.
The Pup was an excellent advanced trainer, and served as such for the end of
the war and after - although many "trainer" Pups were in fact reserved by
senior officers as their personal runabouts.
"It was so light to the touch, if you sneezed, you looped."
- Unknown
The Fokker Dr. I - 1917
The Fokker Dreidecker was flown on occasion by the "Red Baron". The third set of wings gave it extra lift. |
Gemini Spacecraft
 The Gemini design was considered the ultimate 'pilot's spacecraft' and its extremely light weight weight made
it popular with engineers.
The crew station layout was similar to that of the latest military fighters;
the capsule was equipped with ejection seats, inertial navigation, the pilot's traditional 8-ball altitude
display, and radar.
Cramped Quarters!
The crew member was crammed in, shoulder to shoulder with his partner, his helmet scrunched against
the hatch. Long missions were literally painful!
Gemini
NASA staged twelve flights, ten of them manned, in the course of which the problems of rendezvous,
docking, and learning how to do work in a spacesuit in zero-G were tackled and solved. |
Apollo 10 Pressure flight Suit
 Worn by commander Thomas P. Stafford aboard their 1969 flight to the moon - Apollo 10 was the dress
rehearsal for the moon landing of Apollo 11.
Apollo 10 conducted the first flight of the landing mission except for the actual landing. He also
did reconnaissance and evaluation of future landing sites for Apollo 11.
Stafford is cited in the Guinness Book of World Records for the highest speed ever attained by man
-during Apollo 10's return from the moon, the spacecraft reached 24,791 statute miles per hour. |
Mark 6 Nuclear Warhead
 The Mark 6 reentry vehicle carried the 9 megaton W-53 thermo-nuclear warhead, which weighed
8380 LBS and had a range of 5500 miles while traveling at 15,0000 mph.
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And much more with details coming soon...
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