Aviation History Month

The history of man-made flying devices goes back to Ancient Greece and China where devices such as balloons filled with hot air, kites, and bird-like devices that were launched from high points. Other devices such as unmanned gliders continued to be developed over the centuries but with limited success. During the latter 1800s, lighter-than-air balloon-type devices called dirigibles created a new era of aviation success. But, none of these flying machines were manned, heavier-than-air, and controlled by an onboard engine.

According to the Smithsonian Institution, the Wright Bothers made the first sustained, controlled, powered heavier-than-air manned flight at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina -- four miles (8 km) south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on December 17, 1903.

Although there are several records of successful attempts to fly similar aircraft, the Wrights are credited with starting the Age of Aviation. The Wrights also appear to be the first design team to make serious, studied attempts to simultaneously solve the power and control problems necessary to develop the first series of aircraft that could be used successfully for commercial and military applications.

Since that historic flight of the Wright Brothers, more than 100 years ago, other generations of inventors have developed modern aircraft that can fly people from country to country at supersonic speeds, helping to develop a global economy. And, only 50 years ago, the space program was born, taking astronauts to the moon, and outer space, and bringing them back successfully.

What will the next 50 years of spaceflight bring and what new technologies will have to be developed to explore the new frontier of space?

ProQuest has created a BookCart learning activity for your students to use: "Space Vehicles--New Technologies Needed."

It includes four models of essential questions for critical thinking that you can assign to your students. You can easily create or substitute others if you wish.

Here are the instructions for copying this BookCart and almost 100 others for eLibrary Science:

• Logon to the eLibrary Science Teacher Edition to access the BookCart Editor.
• Click the BookCart Admin link.
• Click the ProQuest Carts tab.
• Review the list of Folders on the left side and click eLibrary Science--BookCarts.
• Scroll down and find "Space Vehicles--New Technologies Needed."
• Click the Copy icon in the Actions column to the right of this title.
• Return to My Local Carts.

This BookCart can easily be edited for most effective use:

• Click the new BookCart Title with the prefix "Copy of."
• Delete "Copy of" and then type your first and last name in the Author boxes.
• Type your email address in the box next to Author.
• Edit the sample of STUDENT DIRECTIONS in the Description box.
• Scroll down and click Save.
• Click My Local Carts tab to see your newly edited and ready to use activity.

Use our custom ProQuest models for written or PowerPoint reports written and PowerPoint-style reports.

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