|
Science Friday > Archives > 2003 > December
> December 12, 2003:
Hour Two: Future
of Flight
|
December 17th marks 100 years since the Wright brothers made
their famous first powered flight on the dunes of Kitty Hawk,
North Carolina. Aircraft have certainly come a long way from
the Wrights' original design, made of spruce and ash coated
with muslin cloth. The design required the pilot to lay prone
with his head forward inside the frame of the craft. Some controls
were operated by hand, while other control maneuvers were performed
by the pilot shifting his hips.
|
The beginning of the first flight, December
17, 1903.
Image by John Daniels. Courtesy Library of Congress.
|
In this hour of Science Friday, we'll try to look forward another
hundred years. What might airplanes look like in the year 2103? Will
ordinary citizens finally get the long-awaited flying cars? And what
about aircraft that can go faster, higher, and further -- even to
the lower reaches of space? Call in with your questions and comments
at 1-800-989-8255 (3-4 Eastern), and share your opinions online in
our Listeners' Lounge (registration required).
Guests:
Andrew Hahn
Conceptual Aircraft Designer
Ames Research
Center
Moffett Field, CA
Eric Adams
Aviation and Military Editor
Popular Science
Silver Spring, Maryland
David North
Editor-in-Chief
Aviation
Week and Space Technology
Washington, DC
Books/Articles Discussed:
Related Links:
Popular
Science | 7 Flights Into the Future
Next
Century of Flight: Aviation Week's AviationNow.com
NASA
Chief Outlines New Nuclear, Space Plane Efforts
future.newsday.com
/ The Future of Air Travel
NASA
Speaks Presents: Future of Flight
US
Centennial of Flight Home Page
NASA
Quest > Aerospace Team Online
BBC
News | SCI/TECH | The future of flight
The
Future of Flight : NASA Wants 4-Person Space Plane
newsobserver.com
- What is the future of flight ?
This segment produced by Annette
Heist
|