Unit5学生版分析和总结.pdfVIP

Pioneers of Flight The legend of Wan Hu 1 China launched its first rocket with human beings aboard on October 15, 2003. Astronaut Yang Liwei brought to its fulfillment a dream that probably had its roots in a much earlier time. Although the veracity of the story cannot be confirmed, legend has it that in A.D.1500 a man named Wan Hu prepared his own mission to the stars. At that time, the Chinese invention of gunpowder was widely used in rockets for military purposes as well as in fireworks. Wan Hu devised a risky plan to harness the power of such rockets to take him to the stars. 2 The story goes that Wan Hu built the first spaceship: a chair with 47 powerful gunpowder rockets and two kites attached to it. On the day of the launch, each rocket was lit by a different servant carrying a torch. The servants then moved back and waited. An earth-shattering explosion followed: Wan Hu and his primitive spaceship had disappeared completely. Although the story may seem a little far-fetched, the principles of rocket-powered spaceflight are contained in Wan Hu ’s crazy dream. Howard Hughes ’s Spruce Goose 3 On November 2, 1947, a crowd of onlookers at San Pedro harbor in Los Angeles witnessed aviation history. An enormousflying boat, nicknamed the Spruce Goose, sped across the bay and rose 70 feet above the water. After just under a minute, it landed perfectly one mile down the bay. It was the first and last time the boat ever flew. 4 The concept for construction of the Spruce Goose came from the need for more effective ways of transporting troops and materials in World War II. The idea came from a man called Henry Kaiser, but it was Howard Hughes, the legendary multi-millionaire, who actually developed the flying boat. 5 The Spruce G