-
First Controllable Hanglider Made
Otto Lilienthal of Germany built controllable gliders in the 1890s, with which he could ridge soar. He rigorously documented his work, strongly influencing later designers; for this reason, Lilienthal is one of the best known and most influential early aviation pioneers. His aircraft was controlled by weight shift and is similar to a modern hang glider. He was attached to the gliders by his shoulders, and swung his feet to control them. -
Wright Brothers First Flying Machine.
On December 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the Wright Flyer became the first powered, heavier-than-air machine to achieve controlled, sustained flight with a pilot aboard. It flew forward without losing speed and landed at a point as high as that from which it started.
With Orville Wright as pilot, the airplane took off from a launching rail and flew for 12 seconds and a distance of 37 meters. -
Orville and Wilbur Wright Create Second Flying Machine
Wright Brothers film a film of them together in the skies with their newly built aeroplane. This is the only time when they are in the air together. -
First Artificial Satelite
The Soviet Union sent into orbit Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite in history. Then a month later, an even larger and heavier satellite, Sputnik 2, carried the dog Laika into orbit.
The Sputnik 1 was only twice the size of a basket ball. -
First American Artificial Satelite Launched
Explorer 1 became America's first satellite on January 31, 1958. Following the Soviet success with Sputnik and the embarrassing failure in December 1957 of the first American attempt to launch a satellite, the U.S. Army launched an artificialsatellite using a rocket that had been developed to test guided missile components. -
First Aircraft to Operate at 30,500m Above Ground and At 5 Times the Speed of Sound
The American X-15, a rocket-powered research aircraft, bridged the gap between manned flight in the atmosphere and space flight. After its test flights in 1959, the X-15 became the first winged aircraft to attain hypersonic velocities of Mach 4, 5, and 6 (four to six times the speed of sound) and to operate at altitudes well above 30,500 meters (100,000 feet). -
First Spacecraft To Land On The Moon
The Apollo 11 Command Module "Columbia" carried astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin, and Michael Collins on their historic voyage to the Moon and back. This mission culminated in the first human steps on another world.
The Apollo 11 spacecraft had three parts: the Command Module, the Service Module, and the Lunar Module "Eagle". -
First Spacecraft to Land and Take Tests on Mars
The Viking landers were the first spacecrafts to conduct prolonged scientific studies on Mars. Viking 1 began its 10-month journey to Mars on August 20, 1975. Viking 2 followed on September 9. After entering Mars orbit, the spacecraft orbiters conducted photographic surveys of the planet's surface to assist in the search for safe landing sites. Viking 1 landed on July 20, 1976; Viking 2 landed on September 3. -
First Nonstop Flight Around the World
On March 1, 1999, Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones lifted off from the Swiss alpine village of Chateau in the Breitling Orbiter 3 balloon. On March 21, 1999, 9 days, 21 hours, and 55 minutes later, they landed in the Egyptian desert after traveling 45,755 kilometers (28,431 miles) and completing the first nonstop flight around the world in a balloon. -
First Man-Made Hot-Air Balloon
Joseph-Michel Montgolfier and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier were the inventors of the hot air balloon. The brothers succeeded in launching the first manned ascent, carrying Étienne into the sky.
