The first airplane flight covered a mere 852 feet, but a part of that plane ultimately flew nearly half a million miles.
When Neil Armstrong and his crew of Apollo 11 landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, they made history. They were also aware that they were standing on the shoulders of giants whose achievements made the moon landing possible. In recognition of this, the astronauts carried with them small pieces of wood and fabric from Flyer, the first heavier-than-air powered aircraft.
These pieces are on display at the Smithsonian Institution’s Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.
Categories: Astronomy and Space, Aviation, History, Science, Technology, Transportation, US History
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