Category: History - Modern (1750+)
Welcome to the National Air and Space Museum, part of the Smithsonian family. The flight of the Wrights in 1903 opened the door to ever more rapid and powerful ascents into the third dimension. This country, putting its scientific and technical talents to work, has produced an...
The rebirth of European interest in military rocketry can be traced to the English conquest of India during the late 18th century. William Congreve, an artillery expert, was int...
3. Part 3To continue the study of solar wind and interplanetary magnetic fields, _Explorer 12_ was orbited by a Delta launch vehicle on August 16, 1961. It was the first in a series of s...
2. Part 2In another experiment—the apparatus on display—electric spark discharges were used to add energy to a mixture of gases and water vapor contained in the device’s upper sphere. Th...
5. Part 5The fin-stabilized X-4 air-to-air missile was guided to its target by means of electrical impulses which passed through two wires connecting the rocket to the launch aircraft un...
1. Part 1Welcome to the National Air and Space Museum, part of the Smithsonian family. The flight of the Wrights in 1903 opened the door to ever more rapid and powerful ascents into the...
6. Part 6Most tools and other pieces of equipment used by Apollo astronauts on the Moon were left behind as the astronauts departed to return to the Earth. This was done to conserve weig...