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Cosmic Controversy covers past and present issues in aerospace and astronomy with your host --- science journalist, Forbes contributor and ”Distant Wanderers: The Search for Planets Beyond the Solar System” author Bruce Dorminey.
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Thursday Dec 17, 2020
Thursday Dec 17, 2020
The age of supersonic flight officially began after World War II, when the late Chuck Yeager pushed the Bell X-1 test aircraft beyond the speed of sound (Mach 1) in October 1947. But bestselling author and highly-decorated fighter pilot Dan Hampton contends that Yeager wasn’t the first pilot to go supersonic in controlled flight. On this week’s episode, Hampton and I discuss how the Cold War spurred the quest for speed and why Yeager might not have been the first American fighter pilot to break the sound barrier.
4 years ago
Yet another fascinating foray into the annals of Cold War history, in which Bruce discusses the earliest days of supersonic flight. It is a tale replete with cowboy antics, old school risk taking and creating something incredible from the mystical realm betwixt instinctive brilliance and knowledge. The chat describes many of the characters who exemplified this period in American history; post World WarTwo.