"The Pfalz D.III is a World War I fighter aircraft manufactured by Pfalz Flugzeugwerke Gmbh. In August 1917, deliveries to operational units began. Jasta 10 was the first recipient followed by Jasta 4. The D.III was generally inferior to the Albatros D.III and D.V. due to its heavy controls, lack of speed, lack of power or lack of climb compared to the Albatros. The aircraft also slipped in turns, leading to crashes when unwary pilots turned at very low altitudes. The Pfalz's primary advantage was its strength and sturdiness. However, the Pfalz could safely dive at high speeds due to its twin-spar lower wing, making it well-suited to attack observation balloons which are usually heavily defended with anti-aircraft guns trained to the balloon's altitude. The primary user and operator of the D.III is the German Empire (Luftstreitkrafte). Currently, there are no known D.IIIs which survived, although there are several flying replicas that existed. "
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"The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe was the first turbojet fighter aircraft to enter operational service. It was produced during World War II and began its action in 1944 as a bomber and fighter aircraft. It was formally named Schwalbe because of the bird ""Swallow"", one of the fastest birds ever known. German pilots called it the ""Turbo,"" while the Allies called it the ""Stormbird"". Even though the Messerschmitt Me 262 only had a minimal influence on the class of the warfare; its design had a powerful impact on postwar aircraft development. The Messerschmitt Me 262 was often used as an ultimate super weapon; the Me 262 was already being built as project P.1065 before the beginning of World War II. Ideas were first planned in April 1939, and the aircraft's original design was too much alike to the plane that entered the service. A total of 1400 Messerschmitt Me 262 aircrafts were produced, but the amount of operating aircraft was normally below 100, mostly due to lack of fuel. The best scorer with the Me-262 was Franz Schall with 17 kills which included six four-engine bombers and ten P-51 fighters. Another candidate for top scorer on the aircraft was Heinrich Bar, who defeated 16 enemy aircrafts while flying the Me 262. "
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"The Me-109 Messerschmitt was designed by Willy Messerschmitt and was originally powered by a Rolls-Royce Kestrel V engine. It was one of the first true modern fighters of the era. The prototype Me-109 first flew in 1935 and that same year, the Me-109 won a fighter competition. The Me-109B and C models achieved great success in Spain with the Legion Condor's fighter unit. The progressive development in the pre-war years resulted in a more powerful and heavier armed versions of the ME-109. The Me-109 was flown by the three top-scoring fighter aces of World War II including Gunther Rall, with 275 victories. Bf 109 was the official designation, since its design was sent in by the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke company and was used extensively in all official German documents dealing with this aircraft. After July 1938, the company was renamed as Messerschmitt AG, the time when Erhard Milch finally allowed Willy Messerschmitt to acquire the company. The ""Me"" designation and mdash (except those already assigned with the Bf prefix) were to be carried by all Messerchmitt aircraft since then. The Me-109 has basically the smallest airframe that Willy Messerschmitt attached to the most powerful engine. The Me-109 remained a formidable air superiority fighter throughout World War II. "
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The Mercury Seven was the group of seven Mercury astronauts picked by National Aeronautics and Space Administration in April 1959. They are also referred to as the Original Seven and Astronaut Group 1. This was the only astronaut group with members that flew on all NASA manned spacecraft of the 20th century, including the Space Shuttle with John Glenn's flight on STS-95. The astronauts wrote first-hand accounts of their selection and preparation for the Mercury missions in the 1962 book We Seven. In 1979 Tom Wolfe published a less sanitized version of their story in The Right Stuff. Wolfe's book was the basis for the popular film directed by Philip Kaufman.
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"Gemini 4 (officially Gemini IV) was a June 1965 manned space flight in NASA's Gemini program. It was the 2nd manned Gemini flight, the 10th manned American flight and the 18th spaceflight of all time (includes X-15 flights over 100 km). It was crewed by James McDivitt and Edward White. Gemini 4 would be the first multi-day space flight by the United States, designed to show that it was possible for humans to remain in space for the length of time required to fly the moon and back. A second objective for the four-day, 62-orbit mission was for Gemini 4 to rendezvous and fly in formation with the spent second stage of its Titan II booster rocket. And although not originally scheduled for this mission, Gemini 4 would also see the first ever American Extra-vehicular activity (EVA, known popularly as a space walk). NASA moved up the original schedule after Aleksei Leonov on Voskhod 2 the previous March performed the first EVA ever, lest the US appear to be falling behind the Soviets in the space race. Gemini 4 would set a record for flight duration, and ease fears about the medical consequences of longer missions. It also would also be the first use of the new Mission Control center outside Houston, which because of the flight's long duration, had to conduct three-shift operations "
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The Boeing X-37 Orbital Test Vehicle is an American unmanned spaceplane. It is operated by the U.S. Air Force for orbital spaceflight missions intended to demonstrate reusable space technologies.[1] The X-37 is a reusable robotic spacecraft that is a 120 percent scaled derivative of the X-40A. The X-37 began as a NASA project in 1999, then was transferred to the US Department of Defense in 2004. It had its first flight as a drop test on April 7, 2006, at Edwards AFB. The spaceplane's first orbital mission, USA-212 was launched on April 22, 2010 using an Atlas V rocket.
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"The Grumman X-29 was an experimental aircraft that explored a number of new technologies; the most immediately obvious being the forward-swept wings and canard control surface. The inherent aerodynamic instability of this arrangement required the use of computerized fly-by-wire control, and advanced composite materials were needed to make the wing sufficiently rigid without being unacceptably heavy. The Grumman X-29 first flew in 1984 and two Grumman X-29s were flight tested over the next decade. Two Grumman X-29As were built by Grumman Aerospace Corporation, the first flight taking place in 1984. The aircraft were adapted from existing Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighter airframes (after the proposal had been chosen over a competing one involving a General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon) The Grumman X-29A demonstrated excellent control and maneuvering qualities at an angle of attack up to 45 degrees. There was also a decrease in turbulence. The first Grumman X-29 craft built is now on display in the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. The other Grumman X-29 craft is on display at the Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base "
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"The North American X-15 was a rocket-powered research aircraft that was part of the USAF/NASA/USN X-series of experimental aircraft. Designed to explore the problems of flight at very high speeds and altitudes, it bridged the gap between manned flight in the atmosphere and space flight. After its initial test flights in 1959, it became the first winged aircraft to attain hypersonic velocities of Mach 4, 5, and 6 and to operate at altitudes above 30,500 meters. The X-15 and other research aircraft contributed to the advancement of aerospace technology. Three X-15s were built in all, and they made a total of 199 test flights, the last one on October 24, 1968. Plans were made for a 200th X-15 flight to be launched over Smith Ranch, Nevada, scheduled for November 21, 1968. However, various technical and weather delays caused the planned launch to slip at least six times until late December 1968. Finally after a cancellation on December 20, 1968 due to weather, it was decided that there would not be a 200th flight. X-15 #1 was sent to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. X-15 #2 is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. X-15 #3 was destroyed in a crash on November 15, 1967. Twelve test pilots flew the X-15, including Neil Armstrong, who would later become the first man on the Moon, and Joe Engle, who went on to command Space Shuttle missions. Each X-15 scale model that we offer is made from materials of the highest quality. Every part of the model aircraft is handcrafted before undergoing several phases of priming and sanding. Skilled artists carefully duplicate the details, which are then sealed in with clear lacquer. A faithful reproduction of the original X-15, our replica will be perfect as an addition to a personal collection or as executive gifts and promotional incentives. "
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"Space Shuttle Endeavour is one of the currently operational spacecraft in the Space Shuttle fleet of NASA and was the final NASA space shuttle built. In 1987, Endeavour was authorized by the United States Congress to replace Challenger, which was lost in an accident. Endeavour's assembly was composed of structural spares from the construction of Discovery and Atlantis. Endeavour was named through a national competition comprising of students in elementary and secondary schools. In May 1991, Endeavour was delivered by Rockwell International and was launched a year later. In 1993, Endeavor made its first service mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. In December 2003, Endeavour completed its latest Orbiter Major Modification period and ended on October 6, 2005 and during that time, Endeavor received major hardware upgrades with new, multi-functional, electroncal display system, GPS and with safety upgrades by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board. As of August 2007, Endeavour has flown 20 flights, spent 219.35 days in space, completed 3,259 orbits and has flown 85,072,077 miles. In 2010, Space Shuttle Endeavor will be decommissioned after 18 years of service, along with Discovery. "
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"Space Shuttle Endeavour is one of the currently operational spacecraft in the Space Shuttle fleet of NASA and was the final NASA space shuttle built. In 1987, Endeavour was authorized by the United States Congress to replace Challenger, which was lost in an accident. Endeavour's assembly was composed of structural spares from the construction of Discovery and Atlantis. Endeavour was named through a national competition comprising of students in elementary and secondary schools. In May 1991, Endeavour was delivered by Rockwell International and was launched a year later. In 1993, Endeavor made its first service mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. In December 2003, Endeavour completed its latest Orbiter Major Modification period and ended on October 6, 2005 and during that time, Endeavor received major hardware upgrades with new, multi-functional, electroncal display system, GPS and with safety upgrades by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board. As of August 2007, Endeavour has flown 20 flights, spent 219.35 days in space, completed 3,259 orbits and has flown 85,072,077 miles. In 2010, Space Shuttle Endeavor will be decommissioned after 18 years of service, along with Discovery. "
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"Space Shuttle Discovery (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-103) is one of the three currently operational spacecraft in the Space Shuttle fleet of NASA. When first flown in 1984, Discovery became the third operational orbiter and is now the oldest orbiter in service. Discovery has performed both research and International Space Station (ISS) assembly missions. Discovery was also notable for being named after one of the two ships that were used by British explorer James Cook in the 1770's, during voyages in the South Pacific that led to the discovery of the Hawaiian Islands. Discovery was the shuttle that launched the Hubble Space Telescope. The second and third Hubble service missions were also conducted by Discovery. It has also launched the Ulysses probe and three TDRS satellites. Discovery has been chosen twice as the return to flight orbiter, first in 1988 as the return to flight orbiter after the 1986 Challenger disaster, and then for the twin return to flight missions in July 2005 and July 2006 after the 2003 Columbia disaster. Discovery also carried Project Mercury astronaut John Glenn, who was 77 at the time, back into space during STS-95 on October 29, 1998, making him the oldest human being to venture into space. Discovery is currently in bay 3 of the Orbiter Processing Facility, having concluded a 15-day mission to the International Space Station on November 7, 2007. After the residual cryogenic reactants are offloaded the payload bay doors will be opened and detailed post-flight inspections will begin. According to the current schedule, Space Shuttle Discovery will be decommissioned in 2010. If the Contingency Logistic Flight STS-133 by Endeavour is not flown, Discovery will be the last space shuttle to fly on mission STS-132. NASA expects to launch the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle on the new Ares I rocket by 2014."
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Space Shuttle, spacecraft designed for transporting humans and cargo to and from orbit around Earth. The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) developed the shuttle in the 1970s to serve as a reusable rocket and spacecraft.
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"Space Shuttle Atlantis (OV-104) is currently one among the three operational spacecraft in the Space Shuttle fleet of NASA. It was named after the two-masted boat of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts from 1930 to 1966 and it served as the primary research vessel. Atlantis' maiden flight was on October 1985. Atlantis went seven straight flights to the Russian space station Mir. The spacecraft served as the on-orbit launch site for many notable and noteworthy spacecrafts, including planetary probes Magellan and Galileo. In 1991, it deployed the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. Atlantis underwent refitting operations and modifications including the installation of a glass cockpit. Atlantis completed an 11-day mission to the International Space Station, involving three space walks in October 2002. During September 9-24, 2005, Atlantis was scheduled for its 27th launch though the mission was suspended by NASA due to the complications during Discovery's launch of mission STS-114 and there are subsequent suspensions of all future shuttle launches. Atlantis was scheduled to fly the STS-121 mission, but the mission was flown by Discovery instead. In the recent years, Atlantis has delivered several vital components, the U.S. laboratory module, Destiny, the Joint Airlock Quest and multiple sections of the Integrated Truss structure that serves as the backbone of the International Space Station. As of September 2006, Atlantis completed 28 flights, spent 220.40-days in space, completed 3,468 orbits and flown 89,908,732 nautical miles in total. Atlantis is scheduled to remain operational until 2010, the Shuttle program's projected end, but is not currently scheduled for any missions further in 2008. "
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"Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-104) is one of the fleet of space shuttles belonging to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The fourth orbiter to become operational at Kennedy Space Center, it was named after the primary research vessel for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts from 1930 to 1966. The two-masted, 460-ton ketch was the first US vessel to be used for oceanographic research. The spaceship Atlantis has carried on the spirit of the sailing vessel with several important voyages of its own. Atlantis benefitted from lessons learned in the construction and testing of Enterprise, Columbia and Challenger. At rollout, its weight was 6,974 pounds lighter than Columbia. It was also completed with 49.5 percent fewer man hours compared to Columbia. Much of this decrease can be attributed to the greater use of thermal protection blankets on the upper orbiter body instead of tiles. From November 1997 to July 1999, Atlantis underwent 165 modifications, including a drag chute, new plumbing lines, over 800 new heat protection tiles and blankets, and new insulation for the main landing gear doors. Atlantis made its first flight in October 1985, conducting classified military activities. In 1989, it deployed two planetary probes, Magellan and Galileo, and in 1991, it deployed the Arthur Holley Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. Beginning in 1995, Atlantis made seven straight flights to the Russian space station Mir. In October 2002, after a four-year hiatus, the space shuttle and its six-person crew completed the eleven-day STS-115 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) that involved three space walks. On June 8, 2007, Atlantis launched on its longest-ever mission, STS-117, which lasted almost 14 days. The spaceship is scheduled to be retired in 2010 after it completes STS-131, where it will carry the Docking Cargo Module to the ISS. "
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"The Space Shuttle Orbiter formally started on January 5, 1972 by Richard Nixion. The first orbiters were manufactured by Rockwell International and then later by Boeing. The space Shuttle Orbiter was designed to replace the expendable launch vehicles that NASA was using to deliver commercial, scientific and applications spacecraft into Earth's orbit. The Orbiter's main engines and boosters combined allows the orbiter to reach orbit. The orbiter comprises of three primary elements, the first element, a delta-winged orbiter spacecraft having large crew compartment, cargo bay and three main engines, second is its two solid rocket boosters and the third, is an external fuel tank which houses the liquid hydrogen and oxidizer burned in the main engines. The Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) provides orbital maneuvers which includes insertion, circularizattion, transfer, rendezvous, abort to orbit and abort once around. The Reaction Control System (RCS) provides altitude control and translation along the pitch, roll and yaw axes during the flight phases of orbit insertion, orbit and re-entry. The Thermal Protection System (TPS) covers the outside of the Orbiter, for protection against the cold soak of -121 degree Celsius in space to the 1649 degree Celsius heat of re-entry. The Space Shuttle Orbiter's individual fleets are named and numbered similar to ships. All orbiters tend to be externally and identically similar, but they have minor internal differences. The Challenger (OV-099) was destroyed after its liftoff in January 28, 1986. The Eneterprise (OV-101) was used for test landings. The Columbia which was destroyed during reentry in February 1, 2003. And the other orbiters, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavor. As of August 21, 2007, Columbia and Challenger are no longer in service. "
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