From before the Wright Brothers first flight, man has always dreamed of flying and traveling into space. This book details the human race's reach for the stars, covering almost a hundred historic aircraft, fifty of the most famous aviators and much more, with many photographs. You will learn some of the concepts involved in space travel and flying, and perhaps even have some fun. Join us on our journey from the first flight of a hot air balloon, to our voyage to Mars and beyond. The countdown has begun...

This book is designed to be a primary text for courses in aviation history and development and aviation in America. The seventeen chapters in The American Aviation Experience: A History range chronologically from ancient times through the Wright brothers through both world wars, culminating with the development of the U.S. space program. Contributors also cover balloons and dirigibles, African American pioneers in aviation, and women in aviation. These essayists--leading scholars in the field--present the history of aviation mainly from an American perspective. The American Aviation Experience includes 335 black-and-white photographs, two maps, and an appendix, "Leonardo da Vinci and the Science of Flight.."

In a new introduction for this paperback edition (originally titled "The American Aerospace Industry"), Bilstein explains how international competition has affected American aerospace airline manufacturers and updates the controversy over the high cost of military aircraft, such as the F-22 Raptor.

Military Writers Society of America Awards, Gold Medal for History Highlighting men and women across the globe who have dedicated themselves to pushing the limits of space exploration, this book surveys the programs, technological advancements, medical equipment, and automated systems that have made space travel possible. Beginning with the invention of balloons that lifted early explorers into the stratosphere, Ted Spitzmiller describes how humans first came to employ lifting gasses such as hydrogen and helium. He traces the influence of science fiction writers on the development of rocket science, looks at the role of rocket societies in the early twentieth century, and discusses the use of rockets in World War II warfare. Spitzmiller considers the engineering and space medicine advances that finally enabled humans to fly beyond the earth's atmosphere during the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. He recreates the excitement felt around the world as Yuri Gagarin and John Glenn completed their first orbital flights. He recounts triumphs and tragedies, such as Neil Armstrong's "one small step" and the Challenger and Columbia disasters. The story continues with the development of the International Space Station, NASA's interest in asteroids and Mars, and the emergence of China as a major player in the space arena. Spitzmiller shows the impact of space flight on human history and speculates on the future of exploration beyond our current understandings of physics and the known boundaries of time and space.

The first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1, went into orbit on Jan. 31, 1958. In 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American to fly into space. On Feb. 20, 1962, John Glenn's historic flight made him the first American to orbit Earth. From before the Wright Brothers' first flight, man has always dreamed of flying and traveling into space. This book details the human race's reach for the stars, covering almost a hundred historic aircraft, fifty of the most famous aviators, and much more, with many photographs. You will learn some of the concepts involved in space travel and flying, and perhaps even have some fun. Join us on our journey from the first flight of a hot air balloon, to our voyage to Mars and beyond. The countdown has begun... This book is for those who wish to discover aerospace. Buy now.

The first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1, went into orbit on Jan. 31, 1958. In 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American to fly into space. On Feb. 20, 1962, John Glenn's historic flight made him the first American to orbit Earth. From before the Wright Brothers' first flight, man has always dreamed of flying and traveling into space. This book details the human race's reach for the stars, covering almost a hundred historic aircraft, fifty of the most famous aviators, and much more, with many photographs. You will learn some of the concepts involved in space travel and flying, and perhaps even have some fun. Join us on our journey from the first flight of a hot air balloon, to our voyage to Mars and beyond. The countdown has begun... This book is for those who wish to discover aerospace. Buy now.

When first published in 1984, Roger Bilstein's Flight in America was widely hailed as the foremost history of what is arguably the most remarkable achievement of the twentieth century--human flight. Now, in this newly revised and expanded edition, Bilstein continues his comprehensive history to the closing decade of the present century and offers a glimpse of developments in the next. "The most comprehensive survey of the history of American aeronautics and space flight yet published."--Technology and Culture. "Bilstein casts wide and far to net virtually everything from technological trends and research and development to the effect of air travel on the expansion of major league baseball in the 1950s and early 1960s... A superior work that will satisfy aero buffsand professionals alike."--Journal of American History.