Invention of the Airplane – The first successful airplane was invented by the brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright. The boys grew up in both Indiana and Ohio. A toy helicopter that used rubber bands to propel flight inspired an interest in flying, and they began to build their own toy helicopters.
QUESTIONS: Invention of the Airplane – How long did the first successful airplane flight last?
How Airplanes Fly – Airplane fly because of two forces called thrust and lift. Thrust is the force that moves the plane forward through the air, and is generated by the plane's engine(s).
QUESTIONS: How Airplanes Fly – What two things need to happen simultaneously in order for a plane to fly?
The Invention of Hot Air Balloons – The first hot air balloon was invented by the brothers Joseph and Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier. The brothers were paper manufacturers by profession. In 1782, Joseph observed that when he held his shirt above a chimney fire, that the hot air pushing up underneath of the fabric made the shirt float.
QUESTIONS: Hot Air Balloons – The first hot air balloon ride carrying passengers lasted for ____ minutes.
Early History of Flight – Man's love affair with flight began in China around 400 BC. There, the Chinese used colorful kites to decorate the sky during religious ceremonies. They also flew the kites for fun, and to investigate weather conditions.
QUESTIONS: Early History of Flight – What was the ornithoptor? Where can we still see the ornithoptor's influence today?
Flight in the 19th and 20th Centuries – The first person to design a glider which would both carry a passenger and travel long distances was Otter Lilienthal. His 1889 book about aerodynamics was the basis for the airplanes designed by the Wright brothers.
QUESTIONS: Flight in the 19th and 20th Centuries – Who invented a glider which could carry a passenger and travel long distances?
Icarus and Daedalus – According to an ancient Greek myth, Daedalus was an inventor, an artist and a craftsman in Ancient Greece. He built a Labyrinth for King Minos of Crete.
QUESTIONS: Icarus and Daedalus – What inspired Daedalus to make wings for himself?
Jet Engines – Airplanes fly because of two forces called thrust and lift. Thrust is the force that moves the plane forward through the air. In modern airplanes, thrust is generated by a jet engine.
QUESTIONS: Jet Engines – Which of the following is NOT a step in how a piston engine creates power?
War Takes to the Sky – Man's ability to fly changed many things, including how wars were fought. At the beginning of World War I, airplanes were a recent invention and they did not play a major role in battle.
QUESTIONS: War Takes to the Sky – What happened at the First Battle of Marne that changed warfare?
Astronauts – An astronaut is a person who travels on a spacecraft. Like airplane flight crews who have different responsibilities on board an aircraft, like pilot, co-pilot, navigator, steward or stewardess, etc., astronauts can be pilots, flight engineers, payload commanders, mission specialists, or scientists.
QUESTIONS: Astronauts – Which of the following would NOT be considered an astronaut while traveling on a spacecraft?
The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum – The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, on the National Mall in Washington D.C., shows the history of flight, from man's earliest attempts at flight all the way through landmark moments in space exploration.
QUESTIONS: The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum – What was the Cold War, and what does it have to do with the history of flight?