Presenter: Bill Carton Current Space Activity: Countries as well as private companies are now heavily involved in space - with crewed spacecraft and private satellites. Including: Robots on other planets and on asteroid missions, suborbital space tourism, International Space Station improvements and expansion plans, and the James Webb Space Telescope. Plus: The US is going...
Presenter: Bill Carton Launched in 1958, America's second satellite Vanguard 1 is the oldest known debris still on orbit. Recent estimates are that as many as one hundred million pieces of human-made objects are above the earth now. We are tracking 21,000 items over 10cm in size. Junk includes derelict spacecraft, upper rocket stages, explosion...
Descriptions & illustrations of early US drones, what makes unmanned aerial vehicles different than airplanes, illustrations of how they have been used, some descriptions of their onboard sensors, and associations with the museum’s exhibits.
Presenter: John Bronson Descriptions & illustrations of: What led to the Vietnam War, what the US was attempting to accomplish with its aircraft, illustration of the types of missions assigned to ground support aircraft, and which of the Museum aircraft accomplished each mission. Four mission types are described and illustrated in some detail: Heli-borne Attack, Fixed...
Descriptions & illustrations of the Apollo Guidance Computer, the Display and Keyboard Unit (DSKY), how the astronauts used it and how it interfaced to the remainder of the Command Module, and comparisons to show similarity with other computer systems including Windows programs.
Presenter: Ron Williamson The presenter served on the front lines with an Air Force In-Flight Refueling unit during the Cold War. Remember “duck and cover,” fallout shelters, Khrushchev (“we will bury you”), and Sputnik? To win the Cold War (1946-1991) aircraft needed to go the distance. We will cover the history and operations of In-Flight...
Descriptions & illustrations of the museum’s collection of rockets and missiles is highlighted. Specifically described are the early development of the German V1 and V2 rockets, and how this led to the initial American entries.
