posted 05-13-2006 12:49 PM               

National Air and Space Museum Aviation Lectures

The Flying Frontier - NASA's Aviation Breakthroughs
An Evening with James Hansen
Friday, May 26
8:00 PM
Lockheed Martin IMAX® Theater
National Mall Building
Admission: Free, Tickets Required
Ticket Request Form

Come at 7 p.m. for a FREE showing of Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag in the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater.

Ever since the U.S. Army Signal Corps ordered the 1909 Wright Military Flyer, the U.S. government has been involved in the development of groundbreaking aircraft. In 1915, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the predecessor organization to NASA, was established and began researching new aviation technology, leading to breakthroughs such as the supersonic research airplane and the slotted-throat wind tunnel.


Dr. James Hansen will discuss the pivotal role NASA has played in the development of aviation technology, and the impact government-supported research has had on modern air transportation.

Hansen has written about aerospace history and the history of technology for the past 23 years, and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for his book Spaceflight Revolution, NASA Langley Research Center from Sputnik to Apollo. He recently published First Man, the first authorized biography of astronaut Neil Armstrong. Hansen is a professor of history at Auburn University.

After the lecture, Hansen will sign copies of First Man. Copies are available at the Museum store.