AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY.Byline: Jon Gerung Staff Artist THE FUTURE As the 21st century dawns, near-earth space will become far more accessible with the creation of the international space station, and the VentureStar. These systems could allow a permanent return to the moon or a mission to Mars. A half-size prototype of the VentureStar, the X-33, has already flown in glider tests and two sections of the space station are already in orbit. 2004: VENTURESTAR A new era of faster, cheaper and more reliable space transportation dawns with the VentureStar. The goal is to reduce payload-to-orbit costs from the shuttle's rate of $10,000 per pound to $1,000 per pound. 2004: INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION The space station is the largest international peacetime project in history. Sixteen nations will contribute to its construction. SPACE MISSION The age of the spaceport space·port n. An installation for sheltering, testing, maintaining, and launching spacecraft. may finally arrive with the advent of the VentureStar. Whereas the shuttle requires thousands of people to prepare it for flight, the VentureStar will only need hundreds - more in the manner of conventional aircraft. (For complete text and graphics, please consult the Microfilm Edition). CAPTION(S): 9 Photos, 11 Drawings PHOTO THE PAST Although the birth of flight may have occurred on the East Coast, Southern California has since led the way in aviation and aerospace advances this century. Here are a few of the highlights: (1) 1903: First manned, powered flight by the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk, N. Carolina (2) 1927: Charles Lindbergh made the first nonstop crosing of the Atlantic in the Spirit of St. Louis Spirit of St. Louis Charles Lindbergh’s plane. [Am. Hist.: Jameson, 287] See : Aviation , built by Ryan Aeronautical aer·o·nau·tic also aer·o·nau·ti·cal adj. Of or relating to aeronautics. aer  o·nau of San
Diego
(3) 1939: During WWII WWII abbr. World War II WWII World War Two , the U.S. produced massive numbers of aircraft. Above, some of the 18,479 B-24 Liberators built during the war. (4) 1939: Many aircraft were produced in Southern California for the war effort: Lockheed's P-38 Lightning, a fighter-bomber. (5) 1944: The P-80 Shooting Star The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first operational jet fighter used by the United States Army Air Forces and, as the F-80, saw extensive combat in Korea with the United States Air Force. was the first operational jet fighter Jet fighter may refer to:
(6) 1946: Jack Northrop's flying wing prototype. The design was resurrected for today's stealth bomber. (7) 1947: Chuck Yeager and X-1 rocket plan in which he broke the sound barrier in 1947 at Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. . (8) 1955: One of many Skunk skunk, name for several related New World mammals of the weasel family, characterized by their conspicuous black and white markings and use of a strong, highly offensive odor for defense. Works aircraft created during the cold war: the U-2 spy plane. (9) 1969: Local industries were key to winning the moon race. Most notably the Saturn 5 booster - still the largest rocket ever built. DRAWING: (1--2--Color) International Space Station (3--5--Color) VentureStar (6--8--Color) VentureStar / Space Shuttle Comparison (9--10--Color) Aerospike vs. the Space Shuttle's Engines (11--Color) Space Mision SOURCES: Popular Science; NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. ; Lockheed Martin Skunk Works; Knight-Ridder Tribune. Research and graphics: Jon Gerung/Staff Artist |
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