Synopses & Reviews
A century ago, the Wright brothers' remarkable flight ushered in a new age and a new world. Artifacts of Flight celebrates the history of air travel--and space travel--by presenting not only some of the most famous but also some of the most intriguing objects in the National Air and Space Museum collection. These relics--ranging from a hand-written letter from George Washington on American ballooning, to personal belongings of Amelia Earhart, to lunar-dust-covered boots worn on the Moon--create an intimate, revealing, and entertaining take on airborne history. Other artifacts of flight include an unbroken teacup and saucer salvaged from the wreck-age of the Hindenburg, Waldo Waterman's Aerobile flying car, and the NASA Space Shuttle Enterprise. Carolyn Russo's precise black-and-white photographs describe the objects with startling clarity, elevating the images to the status of portraits. Each photograph is complemented by the story of the object, bringing to life the history of flight. The book's crisp, cutting-edge design makes reading Artifacts of Flight a lively and satisfying voyage in itself.
Synopsis
A century ago, the Wright brothers' remarkable flight ushered in a new age and a new world. "Artifacts of Flight" celebrates the history of air travel--and space travel--by presenting not only some of the most famous but also some of the most intriguing objects in the National Air and Space Museum collection. Photos.
About the Author
Carolyn Russo is a staff photographer at the National Air and Space Museum. She is the author of Women and Flight: Portraits of Contemporary Women Pilots, which was also a traveling photography exhibition. Russo has appeared on National Public Radio's Morning Edition, Voice of America, and the Mary Matalin Show. John Glenn piloted the United States' first manned orbital mission on February 20, 1962. He returned to space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on October 29, 1998. He served as United States Senator from Ohio from 1974 to 1999. Dr. Ted A. Maxwell is associate director for the Department of Collections and Research at the National Air and Space Museum. He is associate editor for Air & Space/Smithsonian magazine and has written more than 50 publications on planetary research.