FIRST FLIGHT: “Success! Four flights Thursday morning all against twenty-one-mile wind. Started from level with engine power alone, average speed through air 31 miles, longest 57 [59] seconds. Inform Press. Home Christmas.” ---From the December 17, 1903 Telegram from Orville Wright to his father about the Wright Brothers’ successful airplane flights. https://www.loc.gov/item/mcc.061/ 120 years ago on December 17, 1903, this photo from Kitty-Hawk North Carolina shows Orville Wright piloting the Wright Brothers’ “Flyer” airplane as his brother Wilber Wright runs alongside. This was the 1st of 4 flights--the first powered heavier-than-air airplane flight in the world, which lasted just 12 seconds, covering distance of 120 feet. (Credits: Federal Aviation Administration and National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC) Note: On April 19, 2021, NASA’s “Ingenuity” helicopter made the first successful powered flight on planet Mars. Mars Helicopter “Ingenuity” carried a piece of fabric from the Wright Brothers’ “Flyer” airplane...118 years from Wright’s 1st powered flight to 1st powered flight of an aircraft on another planet: Mars! Watch how NASA Engineers worked together to fly the First Remote-Controlled Helicopter “Ingenuity” on planet Mars! See video at https://youtu.be/ia6S1jZmwWc Mars Helicopter Ingenuity made its 72nd and last flight on Mars on January 18, 2024. See video: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/after-three-years-on-mars-nasas-ingenuity-helicopter-mission-ends Did You Know? A Team of NASA Engineers shared responsibility for flying the Ingenuity Helicopter on Mars! Three FREE Current Aerospace Family Activities: 1. Send your name to the Moon aboard NASA’s Lunar Rover VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) launching in late 2024: See https://www3.NASA.gov/send-your-name-with-viper/ Print out a Nice Certificate. 440,312 Boarding Passes issued as of 12:19 PM 1-27-24. 2. Watch the International Space Station Orbit over Chicago: See https://SpotTheStation.NASA.gov 3. Watch the April 8, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse Across North America—Note: Indianapolis IN, Dayton OH, Carbondale IL are dead center of the moon’s path, Chicago is NOT. Google: April 8th Total Solar Eclipse for more details. Only view with Solar-Eclipse-Certified-Safety-Paper-Glasses like those available online at www.rainbowsymphony.com.
