Credits:
Executive Producer: Dan O'Connor
Produced and Directed by: Darold Murray
Associate Producer: John J. Martin
Associate Director: Bern Meyer
Written by: Lloyd Dobyns, Darold Murray, Patrick Trese
Music Composed and Conducted by: Walt Levinsky
Cameramen: Bryan Anderson, Steven Alexander
Researcher: Betty Clark
Film Editor: John J. Martin
Sound Editors: Bruce Stanbery, Otto Pfeffer
Title Design: Stas Pyka
Consultant: Dr. Richard P. Hallion, Jr., University of Maryland
Film Researcher: Dell Byrne
Unit Managers: Walter Garrity, Robert Gould
Film Historian, Edwards Air Force Base: Ted Bear
Re-recording Mixer: Peter Page
Videotape Editor: Frank Kennedy
Production Audio: John Hoffman
Electronic Graphics: Carol Collings, Daniel J. Hathaway
Historical Film Furnished by: Bell Aerospace Textron NASA Rockwell International Smithsonian Institution Thiokol Corporation U. S. Air Force
Produced and Directed by: Darold Murray
Associate Producer: John J. Martin
Associate Director: Bern Meyer
Written by: Lloyd Dobyns, Darold Murray, Patrick Trese
Music Composed and Conducted by: Walt Levinsky
Cameramen: Bryan Anderson, Steven Alexander
Researcher: Betty Clark
Film Editor: John J. Martin
Sound Editors: Bruce Stanbery, Otto Pfeffer
Title Design: Stas Pyka
Consultant: Dr. Richard P. Hallion, Jr., University of Maryland
Film Researcher: Dell Byrne
Unit Managers: Walter Garrity, Robert Gould
Film Historian, Edwards Air Force Base: Ted Bear
Re-recording Mixer: Peter Page
Videotape Editor: Frank Kennedy
Production Audio: John Hoffman
Electronic Graphics: Carol Collings, Daniel J. Hathaway
Historical Film Furnished by: Bell Aerospace Textron NASA Rockwell International Smithsonian Institution Thiokol Corporation U. S. Air Force
The corner and chair in the Chuck Yeager interview was maintained for many years by the office of the Historian at Edwards Air Force Base. General Yeager was allowed to occupy this chair, make phone calls, do interviews, and conduct unofficial business from this corner anytime he was on base. It was generally understood by base personnel that this was Yeager's chair and corner.
General Yeager, though finally promoted to the rank of Brigadier General before retirement, was one of the few high ranking officers who had risen in the ranks during World War II, starting out as an enlisted "flying sergeant." Yeager had not received a college degree prior to attaining pilot status, a condition which would be considered extraordinary in the era after the War. His only college experience would be given to him during a one year attendance at the U. S. Air Force Air War College in 1962.
Source: Edwards Air Force Base Historian's Office.
Scott Crossfield's Cessna 210 was reported missing on April 19, 2006 during a flight from Prattville, Alabama to Herndon, Virgina. His body and aircraft were discovered in a remote area of Gordon County, Georgia. Crossfield had not survived the accident. Evidence at the scene suggested Crossfield's aircraft had been sheared into pieces by extreme turbulence caused by thunderstorms in the area.
In the opening segment showing the Space Shuttle's first manned launch, the external fuel tank (the large tank component attached to the Shuttle's belly during the first eight minutes of flight) is painted bright white. After its third flight, and in order to reduce weight and expense, all future shuttle external tanks were only given an anti-rust overcoat, and appear orange in color.
Because it was the first flight of the Space Transportation System, Space Shuttle Columbia was fitted with ejection seats for both the pilot and co-pilot. These seats were finally deactivated after Columbia's 4th flight, and later replaced with light weight seats.
On the morning of February 1st, 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia was lost during reentry proceedures about 39 miles over Texas. All seven crew members of mission STS-107 did not survive the break up. The accident was caused by a stray piece of insulation from the external tank which pealed off and struck Columbia's wing edge.
The vast, flat plain upon which most test flights at Edwards Air Force Flight Test Center begin and end is a unique 17 square mile geographic area originally known as Muroc Army Air Field, part of the Rosamond and Rogers Dry Lake Beds. The name Muroc is actually "Corum" spelled backwards. Effie Corum was one of the original settlers on the edge of the lake bed, and the first area postmaster simply used her name spelled backwards to designate its location. Despite appearing perfectly dry, every year a short period of rain drenches and polishes the flat basin, thus awakening millions of small shrimp that have laid eggs in the sandy soil. Once the shrimp have lived out their life cycle and laid more eggs, the desert sun once again dries up the soil into a renewed, hardened, almost perfectly flat surface that can support the weight of most any aircraft that lands on the lake bed. With 17 square miles of landing area to choose from, test pilots at Edwards AFB, faced with an emergency, need not look very far when coaxing an ailing machine to the ground.
The world's largest compass rose is painted into the surface of Rogers Dry Lake Bed next to NASA's Dryden Research Center.
Although its origination goes much further back in time, it is claimed by Colonel John Stapp that the term, "Murphy's Law," was brought into popular usage in the English language at Muroc Field. Colonel Stapp, participated in flight experimentation for many years at what is now known as Edwards Flight Test Center. (Murhpy's Law: Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.)
Although many sources may list Chuck Yeager as the first man to break the sound barrier, when the usage of history is strictly adhered to, he was not. In fact, many men (or even women) before him had "broken" the sound barrier by simply cracking a leather bull whip. When swung overhead and flipped backward, the tip end of the whip briefly travels faster then the speed of sound and produces a "sonic crack" sound.
It could also be argued that the speed of sound had been exceeded by other pilots during World War II while diving on enemy targets. Most did not survive the resulting breakup of their aircraft, which were not designed for that speed. Some historians have claimed that some post World War II pilots had broken the sound barrier by placing their aircraft in a powered dive. Yet, none of the cited aircraft were actually designed to maintain that speed.
Correctly stated: Chuck Yeager was the first man in a powered vehicle to break the sound barrier while maintaining sustained and controllable level flight. In fact, the X-1 was climbing when it exceeded Mach One, a much more challenging feat.
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