Smithsonian National Air Museum

The Bell X-1

"Glamorous Glennis"

Piloted by Captain Charles Yeager on October 14, 1947, it was the first airplane to fly faster than the speed of sound.  In later tests this airplane attained a speed in excess of 1,000 mph.  National Air Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

The Atlas

A rocket-powered launch vehicle with intercontinental range, which became the wheelhorse of the dawning Space Age as the booster for a whole series of experimental spacecraft.  National Air Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.