Beginning Thursday, December 6, 2018, Wright Brothers National Memorial will host a free Know Your Park: Aviation Speaker Series. The series will be held inside the newly renovated visitor center.
The Know Your Park: Aviation Speaker Series is designed to further connect Outer Banks communities and residents with the technological and scientific advancements in aviation. December’s speaker, Chris Godart, will be presenting Apollo to the Moon: Explore the Last Exciting Chapter of the Space Race.
"These presentations and special speakers offer the local community and winter visitors on the Outer Banks an opportunity to learn more about their neighboring parks and scientific advancement and innovation in aviation history," stated Superintendent David Hallac.
Know Your Park: Aviation Speaker Series Schedule
Thursday, December 6, 2018 at 6:00 pm
Apollo to the Moon: Explore the last exciting chapter of the space race.
Chris Godart, Volunteer at Wright Brothers National Memorial and Docent at the National Air and Space Museum.
* During the 1950s and 1960s, the United States and the Soviet Union competed for primacy in a global struggle for world influence. This struggle, called the Cold War, motivated the first explorations of space by both countries. Apollo was the NASA program that resulted in American astronauts' making a total of 11 space flights and walking on the moon. Join us to explore story of America's effort to master the challenges of an unprecedented journey across thousands of miles of space from Apollo to the Moon.
Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Rogallo's Flexible Wing: From Kites to Spacecraft Recovery and Back to Kites.
Billy Vaughn, Rogallo Foundation Historian
* Francis and Gertrude Rogallo’s invention of the flexible wing evolved from a toy kite to a preferred landing option for NASA’s Gemini and Apollo programs. Today we see this flexible wing incorporated into the modern sports of hang gliding, paragliding, and kiteboarding.
Wednesday, February 6, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Lake Huron and the Tuskegee Airmen Project
To Be Announced, Diving with a Purpose Instructor
* During World War II, military aviators, including all-African American Tuskegee squadrons, simulated aerial combat and bombing exercises over the Great Lakes. Training accidents occurred, resulting in the loss of both aircraft and crewmen. Diving With a Purpose and the National Association of Black Scuba Divers Foundation documented the submerged aircraft and the contributions of the Tuskegee Airmen.
Wednesday, March 6, 2019 at 6:00 pm
To Be Announced, please check the park’s website or Facebook page for updates.
Tags: wright brothers national memorial speaker series
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
