Page 7 - Aerotech News and Review, April 1, 2022

On this date ...
April 2, 1942: After loading 16 North American Aviation B-25B Mitchell medium bombers and their crews of the 17th Bombardment Group (Medium) at NAS Alameda, Calif., the recently commissioned U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) departed San Francisco Bay. The strike group was commanded by Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle, U.S. Army Air Corps. Sixteen days later, the B-25s took off from the Hornet and bombed Tokyo.
April 4, 1938: Eleanor Roosevelt presented Jacqueline Cochran the Harmon trophy for the outstanding American aviatrix of 1937. The trophy was awarded by the Ligue Internationale Des Aviateurs. This was the first of five Harmon Trophies which were awarded to Cochran.
April 5, 1947: The second prototype of the Hughes XF-11 twin-boom reconnaissance aircraft made its first complete flight (takeoff and landing), piloted by Howard Hughes. The XF-11 was a prototype military reconnaissance aircraft, designed and flown by Howard Hughes.
April 4, 1983: The Space Shuttle Challenger roared into orbit on its maiden voyage, STS-6, with astronauts Paul J. Weitz, Koral J. Bobko, Donald H. Peterson and Dr. Story Musgrave on board. Challenger was the second orbiter in the program, and completed nine missions. Challenger was destroyed on takeoff, Jan. 28, 1986.
April 7, 2006: The Boeing X-37 made its first free flight. The Boeing X-37, also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle, is a reusable robotic spacecraft. It is boosted into space by a launch vehicle, then re-enters Earth’s atmosphere and lands as a spaceplane. The X-37 is operated by the U.S. Space Force, and was previously operated by Air Force Space Command until 2019 for orbital spaceflight missions intended to demonstrate reusable space technologies.
April 8, 1959: NASA presented its first seven astronauts: Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard and Donald Slayton. Known as the Mercury Seven, the Original Seven and Astronaut Group 1, they were selected to fly spacecraft for Project Mercury. All of the Mercury Seven eventually flew in space.
April 1, 2022
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