History of Flight

Chinese Kites

1200

The Chinese used silk to make kites and used them to test winds and for sailing and as a signaling device. This set the basis of flying machines. [e-mail]. (n.d.). History of Chinese Invention and Discovery. Retrieved from http://www.computersmiths.com/chineseinvention/index.html

Flying Machines and Human Flight

1300

Leonardo da Vinci designed a multitude of mechanical devices, parachutes and studied the flight of birds and their structure. He contributed by making drawings of flying machines that would later become real. Robert Hooke invented the air-pump, the internal combustion engine, and artificial propulsion. His contribution was he improved flying machines by creating an energy source for them. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.flyingmachines.org/massbiot.html

Jacques Charles and the Air Balloon

1783

Jacques Charles was the first person to fly a hydrogen filled balloon from the Champ de Mars, (now the site of the Eiffel Tower) where Ben Franklin was among the crowd of onlookers. His contribution was that it showed a new way of flight was possible. Wikipedia. (n.d.). Retrieved May 15, 2020, from https://www.wikipedia.org/

Model Glider Designs, Biplane Designs, and Biplane Gliders

1800

Sir George Cayley is one of the most important people in the history of aeronautics. He contributed by being first person to understand the principles and forces of flight. He also discovered basic principles where the modern science of aeronautics is founded. Lilienthal demonstrated that unpowered human flight was possible, and contributed that total control of an aerial device while aloft was within reach. To Fly is Everything... (n.d.). Retrieved from http://invention.psychology.msstate.edu

Henri Giffard

1852

Baptiste Jules Henri Jacques Giffard was a French engineer. His contribution was that he made the steam injector and created first steam engine powered airship (Giffard dirigible airship). Encyclopedia Britannica | Britannica. (n.d.). Retrieved May 15, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/

The Wright Brothers

1903

Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved the first powered, sustained and controlled airplane flight. They surpassed themselves two years later when they built and flew the first fully practical airplane. Their contribution was the creation of the first powered, sustained and controlled airplane flight. Business Insider. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/

Charles Lindbergh

1927

Lindbergh took off from New York on his way to becoming the first pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.biography.com/

Frank Whittle

1930

Frank whittle created the jet engine. His contribution was that it made planes faster and more efficient. https://vimeo.com/ondemand/whittlethejetpioneer/321742924
(highlight video link, right click it, and click go to the page to watch) Encyclopedia Britannica | Britannica. (n.d.). Retrieved May 15, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/

Amelia Earhart

1932

Amelia took off from Newfoundland to become the first woman to accomplish the same feat that Lindbergh did to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.biography.com/

The Golden Age of Air Ships

1937

The airship was a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air with its own power. The Zeppelin, created by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, was the start of a new building style of the airships. The most notable tragedy was the Hindenburg Disaster where while the airship was landing, it caught fire. The contribution was that it ended the airship era. HISTORY | Watch Full Episodes of Your Favorite Shows. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.history.com/

American Douglas Aircraft Company

1961

A Douglas DC-8 broke the sound barrier at Mach 1.012 (660 mph/1,062 km/h) while in a controlled dive through 41,000 feet (12,497 m) and maintained that speed for 16 seconds. Wikipedia. (n.d.). Retrieved May 14, 2020, from https://www.wikipedia.org/

First Man on the Moon

1969

Neil Alden Armstrong was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer and the first person to walk on the Moon. His contribution was that he proved that aerospace can take us out of this world and back safely. Encyclopedia Britannica | Britannica. (n.d.). Retrieved May 15, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/

Expedition 1

2000

Expedition 1 was the first long-duration stay on the International Space Station. The three-person crew stayed aboard the station for 136 days. Its contribution was that it was the beginning of an uninterrupted human presence on the station. NASA. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nasa.gov/

First Rover on Mars

2004

Nasa sent the robot rover to land and travel on Mars, which was the Mars Pathfinder's Sojourner Rover. It rolled onto Mars' surface on July 6, 1997. The Sojourner Rover was a six-wheeled vehicle that was controlled remotely by an operator here on Earth. The contribution was that it proved that we could use aerospace and flight to examine other planets. Cool Cosmos. (n.d.). Retrieved May 15, 2020, from http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/

Perseverance

2020

Perseverance is a Mars rover manufactured by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for use in NASA's Mars 2020 mission. It will carry many tools to examine the surface of the Jezero Crater. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=perseverance+rover&&view=detail&mid=CC38E2E98EB43693B155CC38E2E98EB43693B155&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dperseverance%2Brover%26FORM%3DHDRSC3
Highlight video link, right click, and go. Wikipedia. (n.d.). Retrieved May 15, 2020, from https://www.wikipedia.org/