Remembering Chuck Yeager, An American Hero

Today we remember the legendary test pilot, Chuck Yeager, on what would have been his 101st birthday. Yeager was a World War II double ace - 13 kills - and a notable test pilot we best remember for one landmark achievement in aviation. On October 14, 1947. he flew his Bell X-1 beyond the sound barrier and into history on the shoulders of scores of aerospace pioneers who helped him reach that speedway in the sky.

Thanks to my interest in aviation history I had several opportunities to attend Yeager's presentations at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and actually talked with him a few times. He was always confident, friendly and entertaining with his common sense personality punctuated by humor that boiled up frequently. In addition, he dealt with fame well, being comfortable with his achievement and its accompanying limelight. At the same time, genuine or not, you always got the feeling he could be equally happy in a rocking chair on someone's front porch. Regardless, he certainly earned the right to rock or rocket until his final "flight west" took him from us in 2020.

Readers can learn more about the man and the early years of the nation's military aviation and aerospace history in Yeager: An Autobiography, an outstanding memoir originally published in 1985. A valuable companion book providing context and additional history on the nation's early manned space program is Tom Wolfe's 1979 classic, The Right Stuff.






Sources

Photos and Illustrations:
Cover photo, Yeager: An Autobiography, General Chuck Yeager and Leo Janus, Bantam, 1985.


Text:www.wikipedia.com
www.chuckyeager.com

Chuck Yeager Centennial

 

Yesterday, February 13, was the centenary of the legendary test pilot, Chuck Yeager, who made his "flight west" in 2020. Yeager was a World War II double ace - 13 kills - and a notable test pilot we best remember for one landmark achievement in aviation. On October 14, 1947. he flew his Bell X-1 beyond the sound barrier and into history on the shoulders of scores of aerospace pioneers who helped him reach that speedway in the sky.

Thanks to my interest in aviation history I had several opportunities to attend Yeager's presentations at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and actually talked with him a few times. He was always confident, friendly and entertaining with his common sense personality punctuated by humor that boiled up frequently. In addition, he dealt with fame well, being comfortable with his achievement and its accompanying limelight. At the same time, genuine or not, you always got the feeling he could be equally happy in a rocking chair on someone's front porch. Regardless, he certainly earned the right to rock or rocket.

Readers can learn more about the man and the early years of the nation's military aviation and aerospace history in Yeager: An Autobiography, an outstanding memoir originally published in 1985. A valuable companion book providing context and additional history on the nation's early manned space program is Tom Wolfe's 1979 classic, The Right Stuff.






Sources

Photos and Illustrations:
Cover photo, Yeager: An Autobiography, General Chuck Yeager and Leo Janus, Bantam, 1985.


Text:www.wikipedia.com
www.chuckyeager.com

Alan Shepard Was The First American Spaceman

Sixty-one years ago today Alan Shepard became the first American in space. The launch came about three weeks after Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, became the first person to reach that void. Shepard was an Annapolis graduate - Class of 1944 - and one of the original Mercury Seven, those chosen to participate in the nation's first formal manned space flight program.

Alan Shepard in the 1960's

On that day, Shepard reclined 80 feet above ground at the top of a Mercury-Redstone rocket. I'm sure he didn't have time or inclination to worry much about the long string of embarrassing rocket failures that had plagued the launch vehicle program. Thorough testing, including the launch of a chimpanzee earlier that year, contributed to the acceptable risk limits that permitted human flight into space. I recall reading about the astronauts' insistence that a window be retained in the Mercury capsules to dispel the concept of "spam in a can" flying that even a monkey could do.

Here's a documentary video of that historic fourteen minute flight.

A decade later Shepard returned to space commanding the Apollo 14 mission to the moon. This time his launch vehicle - Saturn V - was a bit taller at 363 feet. He also got a chance to hit some golf balls very far into the moonscape. After his career as an astronaut he became a successful businessman and advocate for the commemoration and perpetuation of the exploration of space.

The Mercury Seven program had a defined beginning and end but our ongoing adventure into space is already a century-long story. Much of it occurred under the guidance of NASA's predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.  If you want to learn more about the story I highly recommend Yeager: An Autobiography (1985), by the irrepressible World War II ace and test pilot, Chuck Yeager. It's a conversational read packed with information and the author's beloved sense of humor. Another fine source is Tom Wolfe's book, The Right Stuff (1979). The film adaption of The Right Stuff (1983) is worth watching as well but don't ignore the book and Wolfe's wonderfully entertaining style.

Remembering The Aviation Pioneer, Chuck Yeager

Today marks the 99th birthday of the legendary test pilot, Chuck Yeager, who made his final "flight west" in 2020. Yeager was a World War II double ace - 13 kills -  and a notable test pilot we best remember for one landmark achievement in aviation. On October 14, 1947. he flew his Bell X-1 beyond the sound barrier and into history on the shoulders of scores of aerospace pioneers who helped him reach that speedway in the sky.

Thanks to my interest in aviation history I had several opportunities to attend Yeager's presentations at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and actually talked with him a few times. He was always confident, friendly and entertaining with his common sense personality punctuated by humor that boiled up frequently. In addition, he dealt with fame well, being comfortable with his achievement and its accompanying limelight. At the same time, genuine or not, you always got the feeling he could be equally happy in a rocking chair on someone's front porch. Regardless, he certainly earned the right to rock or rocket.

Readers can learn more about the man and the early years of the nation's military aviation and aerospace history in Yeager: An Autobiography, an outstanding read originally published in 1985. A valuable companion book providing context and additional history on the nation's early manned space program is Tom Wolfe's 1979 classic, The Right Stuff.






Sources

Photos and Illustrations:
Cover photo, Yeager: An Autobiography, General Chuck Yeager and Leo Janus, Bantam, 1985.


Text:www.wikipedia.com
www.chuckyeager.com

He Was A Hero On This Day

October 14, 1947:

... Bob Cardenas, the B-29 driver, asked if I was ready.
"Hell, yes," I said. "Let's get it over with."
He dropped the X-1 at 20,000 feet, but his dive speed was once again too slow and the X-1 started to stall. I fought it with the control wheel for about five hundred feet, and finally got her nose down. The moment we picked up speed I fired all four rocket chambers in rapid sequence. We climbed at .88 Mach and began to buffet, so I flipped the stabilizer switch and changed the setting two degrees. We smoothed right out, and at 36,000 feet, I turned off two rocket chambers. At 40,000 feet, we were still climbing at a speed of .92 Mach. Leveling off at 42,000 feet, I had thirty percent of my fuel, so I turned on rocket chamber three and immediately reached .96 Mach. I noticed the faster I got, the smoother the ride.
Suddenly the Mach needle began to fluctuate. It went up to .965 Mach - then tipped right off the scale. I thought I was seeing things! We were flying supersonic! And it was as smooth as a baby's bottom: Grandma could be sitting up there sipping lemonade. I kept the speed off the scale for about twenty seconds, and raised the nose to slow down.
I was thunderstruck. After all the anxiety, breaking the sound barrier turned out to be a perfectly paved speedway. I radioed Jack in the B-29, "Hey, Ridley, that Machmeter is acting screwy. It just went off the scale on me."
"Fluctuated off?"
"Yeah, at point nine-six-five."
"Son, you is imagining things."
"Must be. I'm still wearing my ears and nothing else fell off, neither."

 . . .

And so I was a hero this day. As usual, the fire trucks raced out to where the ship had rolled to a stop on the lakebed. As usual, I hitched a ride back to the hangar with the fire chief. That warm desert sun really felt wonderful. My ribs ached.

The flight didn't hurt his ribs. He cracked two of them in a horseback riding accident a day and a half earlier. He never told his superiors about the accident because he knew it could remove him from a very significant mission. It was the right call for Yeager. He did indeed go on to be a hero but eight months would pass before the public learned of his achievement and celebrated with him.    

Capt. Chuck Yeager in front of the Bell X-1, "Glamorous Glennis," 1947

                   

 Aerospace pioneer, General Chuck Yeager, is 97 years old. He lives in Penn Valley, California, and continues to lead a very active life flying, fishing, and managing the General Chuck Yeager Foundation.

Interested readers can learn more about Yeager in the book, Yeager: An Autobiography, which is also an outstanding resource on the the nation's aviation and aerospace history. The cover photo by Anthony Loew opens this post. 

Sources

Photos and Illustrations:
Yeager with Bell X-1, U.S. Air Force, www.af.mil

Text:
quotation, Yeager: An Autobiography, General Chuck Yeager and Leo Janus, Bantam, 1985.
www.wikipedia.com
www.chuckyeager.com

Yeager Flies Faster Than Sound

October 14, 1947:

... Bob Cardenas, the B-29 driver, asked if I was ready."Hell, yes," I said. "Let's get it over with."He dropped the X-1 at 20,000 feet, but his dive speed was once again too slow and the X-1 started to stall. I fought it with the control wheel for about five hundred feet, and finally got her nose down. The moment we picked up speed I fired all four rocket chambers in rapid sequence. We climbed at .88 Mach and began to buffet, so I flipped the stabilizer switch and changed the setting two degrees. We smoothed right out, and at 36,000 feet, I turned off two rocket chambers. At 40,000 feet, we were still climbing at a speed of .92 Mach. Leveling off at 42,000 feet, I had thirty percent of my fuel, so I turned on rocket chamber three and immediately reached .96 Mach. I noticed the faster I got, the smoother the ride.Suddenly the Mach needle began to fluctuate. It went up to .965 Mach - then tipped right off the scale. I thought I was seeing things! We were flying supersonic! And it was as smooth as a baby's bottom: Grandma could be sitting up there sipping lemonade. I kept the speed off the scale for about twenty seconds, and raised the nose to slow down.I was thunderstruck. After all the anxiety, breaking the sound barrier turned out to be a perfectly paved speedway.

I radioed Jack in the B-29, "Hey, Ridley, that Machmeter is acting screwy. It just went off the scale on me."

"Fluctuated off?"

"Yeah, at point nine-six-five."

"Son, you is imagining things."

"Must be. I'm still wearing my ears and nothing else fell off, neither."

. . .  

And so I was a hero this day. As usual, the fire trucks raced out to where the ship had rolled to a stop on the lakebed. As usual, I hitched a ride back to the hangar with the fire chief. That warm desert sun really felt wonderful. My ribs ached. 

 

The flight didn't hurt his ribs. He cracked two of them in a horseback riding accident a day and a half earlier.  Seventy-two years after his remarkable achievement, aerospace pioneer, General Chuck Yeager, is 96 years old. He lives in Penn Valley, California, and continues to lead a very active life flying, fishing, and managing the General Chuck Yeager Foundation.

Yeager and his Bell X-1, "Glamorous Glennis" in 1947

For more information read Yeager: An Autobiography, an outstanding window into not only the life of an American hero but also the early years of the nation's aviation and aerospace history. 

Sources

Photos and Illustrations:

Cover photo by Anthony Loew, Yeager: An Autobiography, General Chuck Yeager and Leo Janus, Bantam, 1985.
Yeager with Bell X-1, U.S. Air Force, www.af.mil

Text:
quotation, Yeager: An Autobiography, General Chuck Yeager and Leo Janus, Bantam, 1985.
www.wikipedia.com
www.chuckyeager.com

Happy 96th Birthday, Chuck Yeager!

The legendary test pilot, Chuck Yeager, turns 96 today. Although he may be a bit slower these days he remains very active managing his foundation, traveling to select events from his home in California, and maintaining an interesting presence on Twitter. Yeager  is a World War II and notable test pilot but he best remembered for his landmark achievement in aviation when he flew his Bell X-1 beyond the sound barrier and into history on the shoulders of scores of aerospace pioneers who helped him reach that speedway in the sky.

Thanks to my interest in aviation history I had the opportunity to attend several of Yeager's presentations at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and actually talk with him a few times. He was always confident, friendly and entertaining with his common sense personality punctuated by humor that boiled up frequently. In addition, he dealt with fame well, being comfortable with his achievement and its accompanying limelight. At the same time, genuine or not, you always got the feeling he could be equally happy in a rocking chair on someone's front porch. Regardless, he's certainly earned the right to rock or rocket.

Readers can learn more about the man and the early years of the nation's military aviation and aerospace history in Yeager: An Autobiography, an outstanding read originally published in 1985. A valuable companion book providing context and additional history on the nation's early manned space program is Tom Wolfe's 1979 classic, The Right Stuff.






Sources

Photos and Illustrations:
Cover photo, Yeager: An Autobiography, General Chuck Yeager and Leo Janus, Bantam, 1985.

Text:

www.wikipedia.com
www.chuckyeager.com

Chuck Yeager's Big Day

The legendary test pilot, Chuck Yeager, is 95. Although he may be a bit slower these days he remains very active managing his foundation, traveling to select events from his home in California, and maintaining an interesting presence on Twitter. On this day in 1947 he was also in California and about to achieve a landmark in aviation when he flew his Bell X-1 into history on the shoulders of scores of aerospace pioneers who helped him reach that speedway in the sky.

Here, from is autobiography, is his description of that event:

... Bob Cardenas, the B-29 driver, asked if I was ready.

"Hell, yes," I said. "Let's get it over with.

"He dropped the X-1 at 20,000 feet, but his dive speed was once again too slow and the X-1 started to stall. I fought it with the control wheel for about five hundred feet, and finally got her nose down. The moment we picked up speed I fired all four rocket chambers in rapid sequence. We climbed at .88 Mach and began to buffet, so I flipped the stabilizer switch and changed the setting two degrees. We smoothed right out, and at 36,000 feet, I turned off two rocket chambers. At 40,000 feet, we were still climbing at a speed of .92 Mach. Leveling off at 42,000 feet, I had thirty percent of my fuel, so I turned on rocket chamber three and immediately reached .96 Mach. I noticed the faster I got, the smoother the ride. Suddenly the Mach needle began to fluctuate. It went up to .965 Mach - then tipped right off the scale. I thought I was seeing things! We were flying supersonic! And it was as smooth as a baby's bottom: Grandma could be sitting up there sipping lemonade. I kept the speed off the scale for about twenty seconds, and raised the nose to slow down. I was thunderstruck. After all the anxiety, breaking the sound barrier turned out to be a perfectly paved speedway.

I radioed Jack in the B-29,

"Hey, Ridley, that Machmeter is acting screwy. It just went off the scale on me."

"Fluctuated off?""Yeah, at point nine-six-five."

"Son, you is imagining things."

"Must be. I'm still wearing my ears and nothing else fell off, neither."

                                                                       . . .

And so I was a hero this day. As usual, the fire trucks raced out to where the ship had rolled to a stop on the lakebed. As usual, I hitched a ride back to the hangar with the fire chief. That warm desert sun really felt wonderful. My ribs ached.

His ribs ached but that ache had nothing to do with his record flight. He cracked two of them in a horseback riding accident a day and a half earlier but wasn't about to let the issue keep him from an important mission. This was but one example of many obstacles Yeager overcame on his way to legendary status in American aviation history.

Interested readers can learn more about the man and the early years of the nation's military aviation and aerospace history in Yeager: An Autobiography, an outstanding read originally published in 1985. A valuable companion book providing context and additional history on the nation's early manned space program is Tom Wolfe's 1979 classic, The Right Stuff.





Sources

Photos and Illustrations:
Yeager with Bell X-1, U.S. Air Force, www.af.mil
Cover photo, Yeager: An Autobiography, General Chuck Yeager and Leo Janus, Bantam, 1985.

Text:

quotation, Yeager: An Autobiography, General Chuck Yeager and Leo Janus, Bantam, 1985.
www.wikipedia.com
www.chuckyeager.com

Chuck Yeager Goes Supersonic

Seventy years ago today, October 14, 1947:

... Bob Cardenas, the B-29 driver, asked if I was ready.

"Hell, yes," I said. "Let's get it over with.

"He dropped the X-1 at 20,000 feet, but his dive speed was once again too slow and the X-1 started to stall. I fought it with the control wheel for about five hundred feet, and finally got her nose down. The moment we picked up speed I fired all four rocket chambers in rapid sequence. We climbed at .88 Mach and began to buffet, so I flipped the stabilizer switch and changed the setting two degrees. We smoothed right out, and at 36,000 feet, I turned off two rocket chambers. At 40,000 feet, we were still climbing at a speed of .92 Mach. Leveling off at 42,000 feet, I had thirty percent of my fuel, so I turned on rocket chamber three and immediately reached .96 Mach. I noticed the faster I got, the smoother the ride. Suddenly the Mach needle began to fluctuate. It went up to .965 Mach - then tipped right off the scale. I thought I was seeing things! We were flying supersonic! And it was as smooth as a baby's bottom: Grandma could be sitting up there sipping lemonade. I kept the speed off the scale for about twenty seconds, and raised the nose to slow down. I was thunderstruck. After all the anxiety, breaking the sound barrier turned out to be a perfectly paved speedway.

I radioed Jack in the B-29,

"Hey, Ridley, that Machmeter is acting screwy. It just went off the scale on me."

"Fluctuated off?""Yeah, at point nine-six-five."

"Son, you is imagining things."

"Must be. I'm still wearing my ears and nothing else fell off, neither."

                                                                      . . .

And so I was a hero this day. As usual, the fire trucks raced out to where the ship had rolled to a stop on the lakebed. As usual, I hitched a ride back to the hangar with the fire chief. That warm desert sun really felt wonderful. My ribs ached.

Yeager posing with his Bell X-1, "Glorious Glennis," 1947

The flight didn't hurt his ribs. He cracked two of them in a horseback riding accident a day and a half earlier but he wasn't about to let the issue keep him from an important mission. 

Chuck Yeager rode into the history books on the shoulders of scores of aerospace pioneers who helped him reach that speedway in the sky. Today, Yeager is 94 years old. He lives in Penn Valley, California, and continues to lead a very active life flying, fishing, and managing the General Chuck Yeager Foundation. 

Interested readers can learn more about the man and the early years of the nation's aviation and aerospace history in Yeager: An Autobiography, an outstanding read originally published in 1985. A valuable companion book providing context and additional history on the nation's early manned space program is Tom Wolfe's 1979 classic, The Right Stuff.

Sources

Photos and Illustrations:
Yeager with Bell X-1, U.S. Air Force, www.af.mil

Cover photo, Yeager: An Autobiography, General Chuck Yeager and Leo Janus, Bantam, 1985.

Text:
quotation, Yeager: An Autobiography, General Chuck Yeager and Leo Janus, Bantam, 1985.
www.wikipedia.com
www.chuckyeager.com

Chuck Yeager Finds The Perfectly Paved Supersonic Speedway

Capt. Chuck Yeager poses with his Bell X-1, "Glorious Glennis," 1947

October 14, 1947:

... Bob Cardenas, the B-29 driver, asked if I was ready.

"Hell, yes," I said. "Let's get it over with.

"He dropped the X-1 at 20,000 feet, but his dive speed was once again too slow and the X-1 started to stall. I fought it with the control wheel for about five hundred feet, and finally got her nose down. The moment we picked up speed I fired all four rocket chambers in rapid sequence. We climbed at .88 Mach and began to buffet, so I flipped the stabilizer switch and changed the setting two degrees. We smoothed right out, and at 36,000 feet, I turned off two rocket chambers. At 40,000 feet, we were still climbing at a speed of .92 Mach. Leveling off at 42,000 feet, I had thirty percent of my fuel, so I turned on rocket chamber three and immediately reached .96 Mach. I noticed the faster I got, the smoother the ride. Suddenly the Mach needle began to fluctuate. It went up to .965 Mach - then tipped right off the scale. I thought I was seeing things! We were flying supersonic! And it was as smooth as a baby's bottom: Grandma could be sitting up there sipping lemonade. I kept the speed off the scale for about twenty seconds, and raised the nose to slow down. I was thunderstruck. After all the anxiety, breaking the sound barrier turned out to be a perfectly paved speedway. 

I radioed Jack in the B-29,

"Hey, Ridley, that Machmeter is acting screwy. It just went off the scale on me."

"Fluctuated off?""Yeah, at point nine-six-five."

"Son, you is imagining things."

"Must be. I'm still wearing my ears and nothing else fell off, neither."

 .  .  . 

And so I was a hero this day. As usual, the fire trucks raced out to where the ship had rolled to a stop on the lakebed. As usual, I hitched a ride back to the hangar with the fire chief. That warm desert sun really felt wonderful. My ribs ached.

The flight didn't hurt his ribs. He cracked two of them in a horseback riding accident a day and a half earlier but he wasn't about to let the issue keep him from an important mission. 

Chuck Yeager rode into the history books on the shoulders of scores of aerospace pioneers who helped him reach that speedway in the sky. Today, Yeager is 93 years old. He lives in Penn Valley, California, and continues to lead a very active life flying, fishing, and managing the General Chuck Yeager Foundation.

Interested readers can learn more about the man and the early years of the nation's aviation and aerospace history in Yeager: An Autobiography, an outstanding read originally published in 1985. A valuable companion book providing context and additional history on the nation's early manned space program is Tom Wolfe's  1979 classic, The Right Stuff.

Sources

Photos and Illustrations:
Yeager with Bell X-1, U.S. Air Force, www.af.mil

Text:

quotation, Yeager: An Autobiography, General Chuck Yeager and Leo Janus, Bantam, 1985.
www.wikipedia.com
www.chuckyeager.com

Alan Shepard: First American In Space

Fifty-five years ago today Alan Shepard became the first American in space. The launch came about three weeks after Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, became the first person to reach that void. Shepard was an Annapolis graduate - Class of 1944 - and one of the original Mercury Seven, those chosen to participate in the nation's first formal manned space flight program.

Alan Shepard in the 1960's

On that day, Shepard reclined 80 feet above ground at the top of a Mercury-Redstone rocket. I'm sure he didn't have time or inclination to worry much about the long string of embarrassing rocket failures that had plagued the launch vehicle program. Thorough testing, including the launch of a chimpanzee earlier that year, contributed to the acceptable risk limits that permitted human - greater great ape, so to speak - flight into space. I recall reading about the astronauts' insistence that a window be retained in the Mercury capsules to dispel the concept of "spam in a can" flying that even a monkey could do.

Here's a documentary video of that historic fourteen minute flight.

A decade later Shepard returned to space commanding the Apollo 14 mission to the moon. This time his launch vehicle - Saturn V - was a bit taller at 363 feet. He also got a chance to hit some golf balls very far into the moonscape. After his career as an astronaut he became a successful businessman and advocate for the commemoration and perpetuation of the exploration of space.

Today John Glenn is the last living member - he's 95 - of the Mercury Seven. Their human and technological story which actually begins during the latter years of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics - NASA's predecessor - is nothing short of remarkable. If you want to learn more about the early years of the American space program, I highly recommend Tom Wolfe's book, The Right Stuff. The movie adaption (1983) is worth watching as well but don't ignore the book and Wolfe's wonderfully entertaining style.



Sources

Photos and Illustrations:
photo by NASA, sourced from www.astrosaur.us

Chuck Yeager: "I Was A Hero This Day"

October 14, 1947:

... Bob Cardenas, the B-29 driver, asked if I was ready.
"Hell, yes," I said. "Let's get it over with."
He dropped the X-1 at 20,000 feet, but his dive speed was once again too slow and the X-1 started to stall. I fought it with the control wheel for about five hundred feet, and finally got her nose down. The moment we picked up speed I fired all four rocket chambers in rapid sequence. We climbed at .88 Mach and began to buffet, so I flipped the stabilizer switch and changed the setting two degrees. We smoothed right out, and at 36,000 feet, I turned off two rocket chambers. At 40,000 feet, we were still climbing at a speed of .92 Mach. Leveling off at 42,000 feet, I had thirty percent of my fuel, so I turned on rocket chamber three and immediately reached .96 Mach. I noticed the faster I got, the smoother the ride.
Suddenly the Mach needle began to fluctuate. It went up to .965 Mach - then tipped right off the scale. I thought I was seeing things! We were flying supersonic! And it was as smooth as a baby's bottom: Grandma could be sitting up there sipping lemonade. I kept the speed off the scale for about twenty seconds, and raised the nose to slow down.
I was thunderstruck. After all the anxiety, breaking the sound barrier turned out to be a perfectly paved speedway. I radioed Jack in the B-29, "Hey, Ridley, that Machmeter is acting screwy. It just went off the scale on me."
"Fluctuated off?"
"Yeah, at point nine-six-five."
"Son, you is imagining things."
"Must be. I'm still wearing my ears and nothing else fell off, neither."

.  .  .

And so I was a hero this day. As usual, the fire trucks raced out to where the ship had rolled to a stop on the lakebed. As usual, I hitched a ride back to the hangar with the fire chief. That warm desert sun really felt wonderful. My ribs ached. 

The flight didn't hurt his ribs. He cracked two of them in a horseback riding accident a day and a half earlier.

Capt. Chuck Yeager in front of the Bell X-1, "Glamorous Glennis," 1947

Aerospace pioneer, General Chuck Yeager, is 92 years old. He lives in Penn Valley, California, and continues to lead a very active life flying, fishing, and managing the General Chuck Yeager Foundation. 

N.B. The book, Yeager: An Autobiography, is an outstanding read for anyone interested in the early years of the nation's aviation and aerospace history. The cover photo by Anthony Loew opens this post. 

Sources

Photo:

Yeager with Bell X-1, U.S. Air Force, www.af.mil

Text:

quotation, Yeager: An Autobiography, General Chuck Yeager and Leo Janus, Bantam, 1985.

www.wikipedia.com

www.chuckyeager.com

Today In 1983: Sally Ride's Historic Journey Into Space

On June 18, 1983 at 7:00 A.M. EDT, the space shuttle Challenger lifted off on the STS-7 mission into space. Sally Ride was on that flight as the first American female astronaut. She loved science, earned her doctorate degree in physics and spent five years preparing for her historic venture.

The crew released two satellites into orbit, used a third instrument package that could operate in the shuttle bay or be released as a satellite, conducted a number of experiments in physics, chemistry, and space medicine. After a bit more than six days and two hours in orbit, STS-7 returned to earth at Edwards Air Force Base in California and later flew to Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the back of a Boeing 747. 

Sally Ride made one more flight into space in 1984 aboard the Challenger mission STS-41-G. In 1987 she retired from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) but stayed active with many of the agency's programs. She also taught physics at the University of California San Diego, and promoted science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to young people - especially girls - through her company, Sally Ride Science, and a number of books.  

Sally Ride passed away in 2012 at the age of 61 after blazing an exemplary trail of achievement for all of us but especially for boys and girls who may wonder if dreams really can come true.

Sources:

Photographs:

nasa.gov

Text: 

nasa.gov

wikipedia.org

biography.org

prospect.org

sallyridescience.com

Voyager I Enters Purgatory

In September 1977, NASA launched Voyager I, a cosmic traveler designed to explore the outer planets in our solar system, then accelerate beyond into space. Voyager has just now reached the edge of our system and entered what astronomers call a "cosmic purgatory" where the Sun's energy "wind" falls back on itself. So what is in store for this craft now that it is 11 billion miles from the Sun? For the next eight years, its instrument package will relay information on space itself.





After those years pass, Voyager will fall silent, but its journey will continue until ending in one of perhaps three likely scenarios. First, the craft could be a "cosmic mariner" for all time. Second, it could be destroyed either by any one of billions of objects in the universe or by an alien culture viewing it as a threat. Third, it could be discovered, recovered, and studied by a culture that viewed it more as a curiosity. They would not be disappointed.




Voyager I carries the Golden Record. It is "a twelve-inch gold plated copper disk containing sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on earth." We can only imagine their reactions to the sound of thunder, surf, wild dogs, a F-111 flyby, a human heartbeat, or to a diversity of music.  Here is the final selection from the Golden Record:

Seems quite fitting for our traveler - Voyager, drifting in emptiness, will not pass close to another planetary system for 40,000 years.

Note: Most of the audio selections from the Golden Record are available on YouTube. It's an interesting listen. For an explanation of the diagram, go here.

Loony White House Leadership Reaches NASA

There was a time when NASA accomplishments focused on objectives in aeronautics and space. At the direction of Barack Obama and his new administrator at NASA, the mission has been changed to social engineering and the raising of self-esteem among Muslim nations. I don't know whether to call this incredible, loony, or both. You can read Paul Mirengoff's take on this matter here at Powerline and watch an amazing Al Jazeera interview with the new administrator, Charles Bolden, a former astronaut. To cut to the chase, just watch the video below.



Bolden seems like a genuine guy, a Naval Academy graduate with a distinguished career in the United States Marine Corps as well as at NASA where he flew four space shuttle missions . So sorry he had to enter this leadership role at the calling of such a wacky administration. Somehow, I think Bolden would be so much happier pursuing aeronautics and space instead of social work.