The Limitless Sky: Air Force Science and Technology Contributions to the Nation - GPS, Precision-Guided Munitions, Radar, Space, Missiles, Rocket Planes, Lifting Bodies, Satellites, Directed Energy

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Technology, Aeronautics & Astronautics, History, Military, Aviation
Cover of the book The Limitless Sky: Air Force Science and Technology Contributions to the Nation - GPS, Precision-Guided Munitions, Radar, Space, Missiles, Rocket Planes, Lifting Bodies, Satellites, Directed Energy by Progressive Management, Progressive Management
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Progressive Management ISBN: 9781310300837
Publisher: Progressive Management Publication: July 24, 2015
Imprint: Smashwords Edition Language: English
Author: Progressive Management
ISBN: 9781310300837
Publisher: Progressive Management
Publication: July 24, 2015
Imprint: Smashwords Edition
Language: English

Professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction, this Air Force publication presents technological developments that have produced new capabilities or opened new ways for achieving objectives.

The Limitless Sky: Air Force Science and Technology Contributions to the Nation * 1. Precision Timing, Location, Navigation: GPS and the Precision Revolution * 2. Tightening the Circle: Scientific Research and the Evolution and Revolution of Precision Guided Munitions * 3. Enlisting the Spectrum for Air Force Advantage: Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) * 4. From the Air: Taking Radar to New Heights * 5. Pilots in Extreme Environments: Enforcing U.S. Foreign Policy from the Edge of Space * 6. Exploiting the High Ground: The U.S. Air Force and the Space Environment * 7. Space Flight: Long-Range Missiles, Rocket Planes, and Lifting Bodies * 8. Military Satellite Communications: From Concept to Reality * 9. Directed Energy: The Wave of the Future

The old dream of mankind to fly and reach the sky—as exemplified by Daedalus and Icarus of ancient Greek lore—became a reality on December 17,1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and ushered in a period of unprecedented technological development. From Orville Wright's short flight a few feet off the ground, to the commercial airliners flying at 37,000feet, the limits of the sky have receded farther and farther away. In the second half of the twentieth century, powered flight extended to satellites orbiting the earth, to landings on the moon, and probes that explore our planetary system. The Hubble space telescope has been producing breathtaking pictures of distant galaxies not observable from terrestrial telescopes. The sky has become limitless.

The Air Force, from its very beginnings as the Army Air Corps, has contributed significantly to all aspects of powered flight that have not only enhanced the defense capabilities of the United States, but also produced a broad spectrum of non-military applications that have improved the quality of life throughout the world. Consequently, to celebrate the centennial of flight, a one-day symposium was held on September 17, 2003, in which the stories of some of the contributions, and of the people who made them, were told. Each paper is the result of a collaborative effort of historians, who have placed the contribution in its historical perspective; technologists, who have described the essence of the scientific or technological contribution; and Air Force senior officers, who have shared their personal experiences on how that technological development affected operations or missions.

The nine papers included in this volume were selected because of their diversity and because they illustrate clearly several key themes. First, it takes a long time from the onset of a new idea to the production of a useful product that enhances operations, something on the order of twenty years. One has to believe in the idea and stay the course, in the face of adversity, to obtain results. Consistent, steady funding is a must. Second, research results rarely lead to what was envisioned in the beginning as a relevant application. Indeed, research in atomic clocks enabled the Global Positioning System (GPS), but that was not the motivation for the research. Similarly, early research on lasers hardly anticipated the proliferation of commercial products or at-home entertainment via DVDs. Third, it usually takes a confluence of several disparate developments to produce a new capability. A vibrant, interacting scientific and engineering community is essential to achieve the breakthroughs that will continue to provide the nation with air supremacy.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction, this Air Force publication presents technological developments that have produced new capabilities or opened new ways for achieving objectives.

The Limitless Sky: Air Force Science and Technology Contributions to the Nation * 1. Precision Timing, Location, Navigation: GPS and the Precision Revolution * 2. Tightening the Circle: Scientific Research and the Evolution and Revolution of Precision Guided Munitions * 3. Enlisting the Spectrum for Air Force Advantage: Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) * 4. From the Air: Taking Radar to New Heights * 5. Pilots in Extreme Environments: Enforcing U.S. Foreign Policy from the Edge of Space * 6. Exploiting the High Ground: The U.S. Air Force and the Space Environment * 7. Space Flight: Long-Range Missiles, Rocket Planes, and Lifting Bodies * 8. Military Satellite Communications: From Concept to Reality * 9. Directed Energy: The Wave of the Future

The old dream of mankind to fly and reach the sky—as exemplified by Daedalus and Icarus of ancient Greek lore—became a reality on December 17,1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and ushered in a period of unprecedented technological development. From Orville Wright's short flight a few feet off the ground, to the commercial airliners flying at 37,000feet, the limits of the sky have receded farther and farther away. In the second half of the twentieth century, powered flight extended to satellites orbiting the earth, to landings on the moon, and probes that explore our planetary system. The Hubble space telescope has been producing breathtaking pictures of distant galaxies not observable from terrestrial telescopes. The sky has become limitless.

The Air Force, from its very beginnings as the Army Air Corps, has contributed significantly to all aspects of powered flight that have not only enhanced the defense capabilities of the United States, but also produced a broad spectrum of non-military applications that have improved the quality of life throughout the world. Consequently, to celebrate the centennial of flight, a one-day symposium was held on September 17, 2003, in which the stories of some of the contributions, and of the people who made them, were told. Each paper is the result of a collaborative effort of historians, who have placed the contribution in its historical perspective; technologists, who have described the essence of the scientific or technological contribution; and Air Force senior officers, who have shared their personal experiences on how that technological development affected operations or missions.

The nine papers included in this volume were selected because of their diversity and because they illustrate clearly several key themes. First, it takes a long time from the onset of a new idea to the production of a useful product that enhances operations, something on the order of twenty years. One has to believe in the idea and stay the course, in the face of adversity, to obtain results. Consistent, steady funding is a must. Second, research results rarely lead to what was envisioned in the beginning as a relevant application. Indeed, research in atomic clocks enabled the Global Positioning System (GPS), but that was not the motivation for the research. Similarly, early research on lasers hardly anticipated the proliferation of commercial products or at-home entertainment via DVDs. Third, it usually takes a confluence of several disparate developments to produce a new capability. A vibrant, interacting scientific and engineering community is essential to achieve the breakthroughs that will continue to provide the nation with air supremacy.

More books from Progressive Management

Cover of the book United States Army in World War II: The European Theater of Operations: The Supreme Command - SHAEF, D-Day Invasion, Pursuit to the Seine, Rhine, Fighting in the North, Drive to the Elbe, Surrender by Progressive Management
Cover of the book History of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: Volume VII: The Joint Chiefs of Staff and National Policy 1957-1960 - Nuclear Arms Control, Missile Gap, Germany and Berlin, Cold War in Africa by Progressive Management
Cover of the book 21st Century U.S. Military Documents: The Air Force in Southeast Asia: The Air Force in Vietnam - The Administration Emphasizes Air Power, 1969 - Nixon, Vietnamization, VNAF Modernization by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Who Has the Puck? Strategic Initiative in Modern, Conventional War: World War II Case Studies of Russo-German War of 1941-45, Pacific War, Shifts from Superior Wisdom, Knowledge, Capacity, Technique by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Rendezvous In Space: A Look In on Military Space Power - Effects of Starfish Prime Nuclear Explosion on Space Policy, Comparison of Space Power to Air Power by Progressive Management
Cover of the book 21st Century FEMA Study Course: Military Resources in Emergency Management (IS-75), Defense Support of Civil Authorities, Useful Military Capabilities, NRF and NIMS by Progressive Management
Cover of the book The Effect of Everyday Corruption on the Russian View of Their Political Leadership: Russian Public Opinion and Personalist Autocracy Regime Support of Vladimir Putin Assessed by Unique Survey Data by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Kazakhstan in Perspective: Orientation Guide and Kazakh Cultural Orientation: Geography, History, Economy, Security, Customs, Rural and Urban Life, Almaty, Astana, Caspian, Aral Sea, Khanate, Russian by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Command and Control of Military Forces in the Homeland: Lack of Unity of Effort between National Guard and Federal Military Forces in Disasters and WMD Incidents, Posse Comitatus, Hurricane Katrina by Progressive Management
Cover of the book 21st Century IED and Roadside Bomb Encyclopedia: The Fight Against Improvised Explosive Devices in Afghanistan and Iraq, Plus the Convoy Survivability Training Guide by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Skylab Mission Report: Saturn Workshop, Marshall Space Flight Center - Technical and Engineering Details of Station Hardware, Subsystems, Experiments, Missions, Crew Systems by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Air Force Doctrine Document 3-60: Targeting - Target Characteristics, Weaponeering, Mensuration, Collateral Damage, Tasking Cycle, Campaign Assessment, Effects-Based Operations (EBO) by Progressive Management
Cover of the book 21st Century Adult Cancer Sourcebook: Lip and Oral Cavity Cancer - Clinical Data for Patients, Families, and Physicians by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Project Mercury: A Chronology - A History of America's First Manned Spacecraft for the Shepard, Grissom, Glenn, Carpenter, Schirra, Cooper Flights (NASA SP-4001) by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Looking Up: Conditions for Insurgent Airpower in Unconventional Warfare - Case Studies of Hmong Pilots in Laos During the Vietnam War, and Tamil Air Tigers in Sri Lanka, Imperatives Governing Usage by Progressive Management
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy