Testing Aircraft Exploring Space

Selected by Choice Magazine as an Outstanding Academic Title for 2003 The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics—forerunner of today's NASA—emerged in 1915, when airplanes were curiosities made of wood and canvas and held together with yards of baling wire. At the time an unusual example of government intrusion (and foresight, given the importance of aviation to national military concerns), the committee oversaw the development of wind tunnels, metal fabrication, propeller design, and powerful new high-speed aircraft during the 1920s and '30s. In this richly illustrated account, acclaimed historian of aviation Roger E. Bilstein combines the story of NACA and NASA to provide a fresh look at the agencies, the problems they faced, and the hard work as well as inventive genius of the men and women who found the solutions. NACA research during World War II led to critical advances in U.S. fighter and bomber design and, Bilstein explains, contributed to engineering standards for helicopters. After 1945 the agency's test pilots experimented with jet-powered aircraft, testing both human and technical limits in trying to break the so-called "sound barrier." In October 1958, when the launch of the Soviet Sputnik signaled the beginning of the space race, NACA formed the nucleus of the new National Aeronautics and Space Agency. The new agency's efforts to meet President Kennedy's challenge—safely landing a man on the Moon and returning him to Earth before the end of the 1960s—is one of the great adventure stories of all time. Bilstein goes on to describe NASA's recent planetary and extraplanetary exploration, as well as its less well-known research into the future of aeronautical design.

[This book] examines our Earth, the Moon and the planets, the latest advances in space technology, and continuing challenges of space and manned spaceflight. Unit 1 ... discusses the elements beyond the Earth's atmosphere, surviving and living in space, and physiological results of manned spaceflights. [Unit 2] discusses the space programs of America, the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), working and scientific satellites, the space programs of the former Soviet Union, and the space programs of Europe, Canada, China, Australia, and Japan. Unit 3 ... discusses issues critical to travel in the upper atmosphere such as orbits and trajectories, unmanned satellites, space probes, guidance and control systems, and commercial use of the space program. Unit 4 ... covers major milestones in the endeavor to land on the Moon, and to safely orbit humans and crafts in space for prolonged and temporary periods. It also covers the development of space stations, the Space Shuttle and its future, and international laws for the use of and travel in space. -Pref.

More than 150 key social issues confronting the United States today are covered in this eight-volume set: from abortion and adoption to capital punishment and corporate crime; from obesity and organized crime to sweatshops and xenophobia.

This book puts the reader in the pilot's seat for a "day at the office" unlike any other. The Smell of Kerosene tells the dramatic story of a NASA research pilot who logged over 11,000 flight hours in more than 125 types of aircraft. Donald Mallick gives the reader fascinating first-hand description of his early naval flight training, carrier operations, and his research flying career with NASA. After transferring to the NASA Flight Research Center, Mallick became involved with projects that further pushed the boundaries of aerospace technology. These included the giant delta-winged XB-70 supersonic airplane, the wingless M2-F1 lifting body vehicle, and triple-sonic YF-12 Blackbird. Mallick also test flew the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle and helped develop techniques used in training astronauts to land on the Moon.

Modelling and Managing Airport Performance provides an integrated view of state-of-the-art research on measuring and improving the performance of airport systems with consideration of both airside and landside operations. The considered facets of performance include capacity, delays, economic costs, noise, emissions and safety. Several of the contributions also examine policies for managing congestion and allocating sparse capacity, as well as for mitigating the externalities of noise, emissions, and safety/risk. Key features: Provides a global perspective with contributing authors from Europe, North and South America with backgrounds in academia, research institutions, government, and industry Contributes to the definition, interpretation, and shared understanding of airport performance measures and related concepts Considers a broad range of measures that quantify operational and environmental performance, as well as safety and risk Discusses concepts and strategies for dealing with the management of airport performance Presents state-of-the-art modelling capabilities and identifies future modelling needs Themed around 3 sections – Modelling Airport Performance, Assessing Airport Impacts, and Managing Airport Performance and Congestion Modelling and Managing Airport Performance is a valuable reference for researchers and practitioners in the global air transportation community.

This title introduces readers to the job of test pilot. A short history of the profession is included, as are test pilots such as the Wright Brothers, Charles Lindbergh, Chuck Yeager, Neil Armstrong, and their contributions to aviation and aircraft advancement. Education and training needed to become a test pilot is covered, such as programs at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, United States Naval Test Pilot School, and the National Test Pilot School. Xtreme facts provide additional information on this exciting job. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. A&D Xtreme is an imprint of Abdo Publishing Company, a division of ABDO.

Stenciled on many of the deactivated facilities at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the evocative phrase “abandoned in place” indicates the structures that have been deserted. Some structures, too solid for any known method of demolition, stand empty and unused in the wake of the early period of US space exploration. Now Roland Miller’s color photographs document the NASA, Air Force, and Army facilities across the nation that once played a crucial role in the space race. Rapidly succumbing to the elements and demolition, most of the blockhouses, launch towers, tunnels, test stands, and control rooms featured in Abandoned in Place are located at secure military or NASA facilities with little or no public access. Some have been repurposed, but over half of the facilities photographed no longer exist. The haunting images collected here impart artistic insight while preserving an important period in history.

This book explores the physical aspects of aviation and space flight through an appreciation of design evolution, powers of scale, materials, tools of the trade and imagery that captures not only moments in history, but also tire realization of theories and ideas. Each chapter, written by a specialist in aerospace history or aerospace technology, engagingly describes all aspect of the evolution of flight, from ground-testing designs and components to the aircraft and spacecraft themselves. The authors raise numerous fascinating questions: Why (to the vehicles look the way they (lo? How do these designs relate to other forms in our society? What will aircraft and spacecraft look like in the future? The answers to every conceivable question about aerospace design are provided in this landmark publication, which is stunningly illustrated throughout with e broad range of images from NASA's unsurpassable collection. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in aircraft, spacecraft or the broader issues of design.