The first powered flight
An evening pause: Tomorrow will be the anniversary of the first powered flight at Kitty Hawk. How about a compliation of movie clips showing the Wright Brothers themselves in the air.
Hat tip Tom Biggar.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
An evening pause: Tomorrow will be the anniversary of the first powered flight at Kitty Hawk. How about a compliation of movie clips showing the Wright Brothers themselves in the air.
Hat tip Tom Biggar.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
From flying a fancy box kite to flying a rocket to the moon and back, I think those two bicycle mechanics had an idea of what they had achieved! Creating wind tunnels to test theory and airfoil shapes goes well beyond rudimentary skills required to make and repair two wheelers!
Thanks to these guys, I have enjoyed a wonderful career of 28,000 hours flying time with both a major airline and a military career of 20 years single seat fighter time in the A-7 and F-16.
My hero’s !
Amazing…within the span of seven decades, the US went from the first powered/controlled manned flight to ultimately landing a man on the moon and returning safely to earth. Since landing on the moon, almost five decades have past and we can only note NASA doing pc islamic outreach and advancing the global warming adgenda. Pathetic!
Hopefully….things will begin to change and we will return to thinking YUGE and doing YUGE things AGAIN.
Bill R:
The F-16 must be the ultimate ride, two thumbs up to you. (Not that the A-7 is a slouch)
It is near-impossible to overstate the Wright’s achievement; and visiting Kitty Hawk is sublime. I’ve written several airlines about making 17 Dec ‘Bikes Fly Free’ day, but so far no takers.
Unbelievable how fast aviation evolved in early years, not to compared to space flight. Whereas, a few, not specialized men (bicycle designer) were enough to design, build and operate first airplanes, it required in contrast the most powerful and advanced governments to achieve same in case of space flight.
Jwing: I support your message by every word.
I’ve read a number of books on their journey to powered flight–all good reads. I encourage everyone to learn more about the Wright’s and their American story of experimentation and achievement.
Jwing wrote: “Since landing on the moon, almost five decades have past and we can only note NASA doing pc islamic outreach and advancing the global warming adgenda. Pathetic!”
But then, what should we expect from a presidential administration that has left (to paraphrase Dr. Paul D. Spudis) an abundance of confusion in America’s space program?
A century after a couple of bicycle shopkeepers were able to invent an airplane, free from government intervention, we see rocket and spacecraft makers pondering the next regulation changes to their own inventions. Worse, the government keeps talking about changing regulatory bodies from the current agencies to other agencies, meaning that a whole new set of people will want to mark their own, new, regulatory territories (if you aren’t picturing them peeing all over the manufacturers and operators, I communicated poorly).
But I gripe when I should celebrate the day.
Bill R’s sentiment is best: “My hero’s!“