Aerospace engineering > Timelines

From Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium

This is a List of Aerospace Engineering Historical Events.

1783: First flight of a human being, in a hot air balloon built by the Montgofier brothers in Paris. 1901: Alberto Santos-Dumont wins the Deutsch Prize flying his Airship #6 around a course over Paris. 1903: On December 17th, the first powered heavier-than-air flight, by the Wright brothers, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. 1919: On June 15th, Alcock and Brown completed the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in a modified Vickers Vimy bomber. 1937: In April, the first turbo-jet engine, developed by Francis Whittle, in the UK, achieved sustained operation in ground testing. 1939: On August 27, the first flight of a true turbine-equipped jetplane, the Heinkel He 178 (Germany), piloted by Erich Warsitz. 1942: On October 3 the first successful test launch of the German V-2 ballistic missile, at Peenemunde in Germany. This was probably the first self propelled vehicle to break the sound barrier. 1944: Early in the year (date uncertain) a V-2 test rocket, launched from Peenemunde in Germany reached 189 kilometres altitude, the first artificial object to reach outer space. On September 8th, the world's first successful ballistic missile (V-2, launched by Germany) hits its target for the first time, Chiswick in London, UK. Three civilians were killed and seventeen injured, a massive crater was left. By September 1944, the V-2s routinely achieved Mach-4 during terminal descent. 1947: On October 14th, American test pilot Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier in an X-1 rocket aircraft over California in the USA. 1952: On 2 May G-ALYP, a DeHavilland Comet, operated by BOAC, took off from London, UK on the world's first all-jet flight with fare-paying passengers, beginning scheduled service to Johannesburg. 1957: On October 4th, the USSR launches the world's first artificial satellite called Sputnik-1 using an R-7 launcher from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. 1969: On February 21st, U.S.S.R. — N-1 rocket lunar test flight failed to reach orbit. As of September 2007, this was the heaviest flying object ever launched, but it did not reach space. On July 20th, the United States spacecraft Apollo 11, achieves first landing of humans on the moon. Armstrong and Aldrin touched down on the moon at 4:18 p.m. EDT July 20. Upon landing Armstrong reported, "Houston, Tranquillity Base here - the Eagle has landed." 1975: On 26 December the first civilian supersonic transport, the Tupolev Tu-144S went into service, flying mail and freight between Moscow and Alma-Ata in preparation for passenger services, which commenced in November 1977. Operated by Aeroflot.