| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| During this operation, the F-105 Wild Weasel was first fielded to destroy a railyard at Yen Bai. "Iron Hand" flak suppression teams were deployed during this operation, launching from air bases in Korat, Takhli, Udorn, and Ubon. This operation began in (+) 1965, partially in response to an attack on an air base at Pleiku, and was itself followed up by Operation (*) Linebacker. For the point, name this sustained American and South Vietnamese aerial bombardment operation that targeted North Vietnamese critical infrastructure. | Operation Rolling Thunder |
| A 1912 flight this man took, with stops at College Park and Fort Myers, earned him the first MacKay Trophy. Along with Theodore von Kármán, this man promoted aeronautics research by founding the Scientific Advisory Board. A conversation between this man and Franklin R. (+) Collbohm, concerning the effects of post-World War Two demobilization, spurred the founding of Project RAND, a forerunner to the RAND Corporation. The only man to be given the rank of five-star general in two separate (*) military branches, for the point, who was this only General of the Air Force, nicknamed "Hap"? | Hap Arnold (or Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold; accept "Happy" in place of "Hap") |
| This aircraft broke a 41-year record achieved by Flight 91 of an X-15 piloted by Joe Walker. The documentary Black Sky focuses on this vehicle, which was designed by Burt Rutan's company, Scaled Composites. Brian Binnie was a test pilot for this aircraft, which was financed by (+) Paul Allen of Microsoft. A $10 million Ansari X Prize was given to this vehicle, which surpassed 112 kilometers in (*) altitude to set a record among winged aircraft on sub-orbital flights. For the point, name this aircraft which made the inaugural crewed private flight in space. | SpaceShipOne |
| An Otto Preminger film based on this event stars Gary Cooper in the central role. The wreck of the Shenandoah precipitated a chain of events that led to this event, brought about by the direct order of Calvin Coolidge. The 96th Article of War's relation to free speech (+) doctrines was examined during this event, precipitated by one man's accusation of "almost treasonable administration of the national defense" by certain leaders. (*) For the point, name this trial centering on allegations of insubordination of a founding figure of the U.S. Air Force. | Court Martial of William Lendrum "Billy" Mitchell (accept The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell; prompt on "trial" and similar answers; prompt on partial answers) |
| Joseph P. Kerwin served as the Science Pilot on a mission to this entity, whose development contributed to the rise of the "wet workshop" concept. Two outfitted decks of a Saturn V [[Five]] rocket were used in this entity, which took nearly (+) 200,000 pictures of the Sun. Lobster Newberg was among the 72 items included on a food menu for this location. The subject of the book Homesteading Space, this location was (*) occupied between 1973 and 1974. For the point, name this first NASA-launched space station. | Skylab |
| Sandy Campbell was killed in the aftermath of this event while disarming unexploded ordnance in the neighborhood of Canley. Factories owned by Daimler and Humber Hillman were among the casualties of this event, which set fire to a cathedral dedicated to St. Michael. Joseph (+) Goebbels turned this event's namesake city into a verb used to describe similar levels of destruction against enemy towns. A series of bombing raids conducted by the (*) Luftwaffe, for the point, what was this campaign against a city in the West Midlands of England? | Coventry Blitz (accept Coventration; accept bombing of Coventry; prompt on partial answers) |
| This spacecraft's Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer was first used to analyze rocks named after cartoon characters. Launching a year after NEAR Shoemaker, this spacecraft was the second mission of the (+) Discovery program. This spacecraft's lander, named after Carl Sagan, arrived in the Chryse Planitia [[KRY-see plan-ISH-uh]] on July 4, 1997. The (*) Sojourner rover, the first to operate outside the Earth-Moon system, is part of, for the point, what spacecraft? | Mars Pathfinder (accept MESUR Pathfinder) |
| Norman G. Thomas worked with the notably self-taught Robert Burnham Jr. at this location, where Neil Armstrong gave a keynote during his last public appearance. This location was named after a man who created detailed drawings of canals he believed were on (+) Mars, a member of a prominent Boston family. In 1930, Clyde Tombaugh was working out of this location when he discovered the dwarf planet (*) Pluto. The Clark Telescope Dome can be found in this location in Flagstaff, Arizona. For the point, name this astronomical observatory. | Lowell Observatory (accept Percival Lowell) |
| An altitude-related record established during this effort was broken two years later by Alan Eustace. Joseph Kittinger served as capsule communicator during this event, which took place as part of the Stratos Project. This event involved an (+) Austrian man reaching a speed of Mach 1.25 and spending 4 minutes and 19 seconds in free (*) fall before landing in New Mexico. Sponsored by Red Bull, for the point, what was this project in which a stratosphere skydive was undertaken by a man nicknamed "Fearless Felix"? | Felix Baumgartner's jump to Earth from space (accept Felix Baumgartner's skydive before mentioned; accept reasonable equivalents including Felix Baumgartner) |
| Adriaan van Maanen supported one side during this event with a contention regarding an entity named for its resemblance to a pinwheel. Taking place in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, this event involved a figure who used an Immanuel Kant term characterizing one (+) entity as an island. During this event, the idea that the Sun was on the outskirts of the Milky Way was furthered by a man who believed that (*) Andromeda was part of the galaxy. With certain results verified by Edwin Hubble, for the point, what was this 1920 "Great Debate" regarding the scale of the universe? | Shapley-Curtis Debate (accept Debate between Harlow Shapley and Heber Doust Curtis and similar answers; prompt on "Great Debate") |
| While flying with this organization over Rangoon, Robert "Tadpole" Smith shot down three Sally bombers and a fighter. This organization was created by a man known for feuding with General Joseph Stilwell. That man, (+) Claire Lee Chennault [[shen-OH]], negotiated the funding of this organization with the help of Dr. Soong Tse-vung, providing China with 100 P-40B Tomahawk aircraft that later got special paint jobs. A (*) World War Two-era organization of American volunteer pilots, for the point, what was this group who defended the Republic of China? | Flying Tigers (accept First American Volunteer Group; accept 1st AVG; prompt on "American Volunteer Group"; prompt on "AVG") |
| This man explained the "Uraniden hypothesis" in a work offering an explanation of extraterrestrial life titled "They Come from Outer Space." After working for the Italian Navy following World War Two, this man helped advise the Atlas project of Convair. This man was drafted during the First World War while in medical school, serving at a (+) Segesvár hospital where he conducted studies on weightlessness. The multistage concept was independently developed by this man, whose namesake society is headquartered in (*) Bremen. A teacher of Wernher von Braun, for the point, who was this German pioneer in astronautics? | Hermann Oberth (or Hermann Julius Oberth; accept Hermann-Oberth- Gesellschaft; accept Hermann Oberth Society) |
| During exile, Romanian king Michael I [[the First]] agreed to work for a company founded by this man in Switzerland that aimed to remodel the FFA P-16. The B-battery's eliminator was invented by this man, also known for the development of the 8-track tape in the field of sound recording. (+) Gates Aviation once merged with this man's namesake company, now a subsidiary of Bombardier. That company's namesake (*) 23 could fit six to eight passengers. For the point, name this aerospace inventor and namesake of a jet company. | Bill Lear (or William Powell Lear; accept Learjet; accept Bombardier Learjet; accept Learjet 23) |
| Jim Lloyd served as pilot during the 75th-anniversary re-enactment of the flight of this plane, which was originally piloted by a grandnephew of Oliver Hazard Perry named Calbraith Perry Rodgers. Crashing over 16 times while attempting to obtain a $50,000 prize, this aircraft was a (+) Model EX developed by the Wright Company. Because of one project's patronage by meatpacking magnate J. Ogden Armour, this plane was named after a (*) grape soda sold by his company. Landing in Pasadena in 1911, for the point, what was this "Flyer" which made the first coast-to-coast U.S. flight? | Vin Fiz Flyer (prompt on Wright "Model EX") |
| This program included the development of two Ares launch vehicles, one for crew and one for cargo. The Altair lunar transport vehicle and the Orion spacecraft were designed for this program, which was succeeded by the (+) Artemis program in 2017. NASA began this program in 2004 in preparation for the retirement of the Space Shuttle, though this program's (*) exclusion from the 2011 federal budget led to its formal cancellation. For the point, name this American crewed spaceflight program, also known as CxP. | Constellation program (accept CxP before mentioned) |
| This speech's namesake assertion was deemed inaccurate by a 1964 study, causing the Polaris missile to be emphasized instead of the V force [[VEE-force]]. Delivered in 1932, this speech claimed that unilateral disarmament was no longer viable and that one must "kill more (+) women and children more quickly than the enemy if you want to save yourselves." This speech's key phrase has been used in reference to individuals with explosives strapped to them. Delivered by Stanley (*) Baldwin in 1932, for the point, what is this speech about the inevitability of warplanes reaching their objective? | "The bomber will always get through" speech (accept A Fear for the Future; accept answers describing Stanley Baldwin's speech about warplanes reaching their objectives before mentioned) |
| The memoir For Spacious Skies was written by this man, who was chosen for one mission after Deke Slayton was found to have cardiac dysrhythmia. The term "frostflies" was originated by this man for the icy particles seen on the exterior of spacecraft. This man's activation of the (+) retrorockets following a delay of three seconds contributed to his landing roughly 250 miles from where he was supposed to have landed. The commander of (*) Aurora 7, this man became the second American to enter orbit. For the point, name this astronaut, the fourth American in space. | Scott Carpenter (or Malcolm Scott Carpenter) |
| The words "Sacrifices must be made!" are inscribed on the tombstone of this man, whose 1894 patent directed pilots to "grip the bar." This man designed a "normal soaring apparatus" purchased by William Randolph Hearst and Nikolai Zhukovsky. While on a visit to (+) Tempelhof aerodrome, Wilbur Wright paid tribute to this man, who is buried in the nearby locality of Lankwitz. Lending his name to Berlin's (*) Tegel Airport until its closure in 2020, for the point, who was this German pioneer of flight? | Otto Lilienthal (or Karl Wilhelm Otto Lilienthal; accept Berlin Tegel "Otto Lilienthal Airport) |
| This man was killed one day before his 30th birthday over Vouziers [[voo- ZYEH]], possibly by the ace Hermann Habich [[HAH-bish]]. The main airport serving the island of Réunion is named for this man, who was the subject of a myth claiming that he crashed into a (+) Zeppelin during the first aerial battle in history. First flying a Demoiselle before gaining enough experience to become a storied World War One pilot, this man names a clay (*) court stadium where Rafael Nadal has won 14 French Opens. For the point, name this early French aviator. | Roland Garros (or Eugène Adrien Roland Georges Garros; accept Roland Garros Airport; accept Stade Roland Garros or Roland Garros Stadium) |
| With NASA, this organization developed a technology for sonic boom suppression known as the Quiet Spike. Mark Burns is currently president of this organization, which, during the 1980s, saw enormous employment growth in a Savannah plant originally used by its previous owner, (+) Northrop Grumman. Mark Cuban's $40 million purchase of a vehicle from this organization set a record for the largest e-commerce purchase at the time. Often creating vehicles for (*) business travel, for the point, what is this jet manufacturer of the G-V [[G-Five]]? | Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (accept Gulfstream V [[Five]]; prompt on "General Dynamics") |
| In 1992, a YF-22 aircraft crashed while landing at this location, which now hosts an identical display model. Founded as the Muroc Bombing and Gunnery Range, this location served as the departure point for the Rutan Voyager's (+) 1986 circumnavigation flight. In 1947, Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier near this location, which Richard Nixon later selected for Space Shuttle orbiter testing. Located in Southern (*) California, for the point, what is this U.S. Air Force installation, named for a test pilot? | Edwards Air Force Base (accept Glen Walter Edwards; prompt on "EDW" or "KEDW") |
| This company developed the liquid-fueled Blue Streak missile, which eventually became the first stage of the Europa space launch vehicle. This company's founder set up a scholarship fund after his son died testing an aircraft nicknamed the "Wooden Wonder." At (+) Hatfield Aerodrome, this company developed and manufactured the world's first commercial airliner, the Comet 1. Perhaps best known for producing the World War Two-era mult-irole (*) "Mosquito" aircraft, for the point, what was this British aircraft manufacturer? | de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited (accept de Havilland Mosquito; accept de Havilland Comet 1; prompt on "DH") |
| After a mission aboard this spacecraft, the GO Navigator recovered Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken. A nine-day effort to retrieve the Intelsat 603 was the first mission of this craft, a mission designated STS-49. Approval of this spacecraft, which made the (+) earliest service mission to the HST, was granted in 1987 after the Challenger disaster. Named after the (*) ship on which James Cook took his first voyage, for the point, what is this NASA space shuttle that operated from 1992 to 2011? | Space Shuttle Endeavour (accept OV-105) |
| A creation developed by this man, described as a "portentous toy," was erected outside of the Crystal Palace in 1904. The success of that creation by this man prompted Thomas J. Ryan to obtain the rights to use it at Coney Island. With Claude Grahame-White and (+) Louis Blériot, this man founded an aircraft company after having funded research into flight through an attraction called the (*) “Captive Flying Machine." Known for his wide-ranging patents and the creation of a namesake automatic machine gun used during the First World War, for the point, who was this inventor? | Hiram Maxim (or Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim; accept Maxim gun; accept Grahame- White, Blériot, and Maxim Company) |
| Frank Luke Jr., a future ace, got his first balloon kill at this battle, which marked the first American use of the term "D-Day." This battle's eponymous location was a salient inside French lines that blocked communications between Nancy and (+) Verdun. Nearly 1,500 Allied aircraft fought during this battle in one of the first coordinated air-to-ground offensives in history. General John J. Pershing led 550,000 American and French soldiers against the (*) German Fifth Army in, for the point, what 1918 battle, a precursor to Meuse-Argonne? | Battle of Saint-Mihiel |
| This man is told that he is "like a willow, fruitless and afraid" by a White Demon, who blinds and imprisons him in a cave. This man was rescued after an incident involving a contraption made of wood and gold in which pieces of meat were attached to poles to bait its operators. (+) Seyāvash was the son of this man, whose 150-year reign was assisted by a son of Zal named Rostam. Appearing in a work by Ferdowsi, this man journeyed to China with an object powered by eagles. The owner of a (*) flying throne in the Shahnameh epic of Iran, for the point, who was this legendary man? | Kay Kāvus (accept Kauui Usan; accept Kai-Kaus; accept The Flying Throne of Kay Kavus) |
| A 2019 documentary about this event studies the theory that the mercenary Jan van Risseghem brought this event about. One theory holds that this event was caused by mining companies like Union Minière, a major copper producer. A victim of this event was en route from (+) Elisabethville Airport to negotiate with Moishe Tshombe, the president of the Republic of Katanga, when his (*) Transair flight was possibly shot down. For the point, name this 1961 event in which a Swedish Secretary- General of the United Nations was killed. | 1961 Ndola United Nations DC-6 crash (accept Airplane crash that killed Dag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjold; accept clear-knowledge equivalents; prompt on partial answers) |
| A 1933 photograph depicts one of these objects named Puritan above the Chicago World's Fair. Examples of these objects, known as Pilgrim and Spirit of Innovation, are among a group of them used by an organization that tends to use the names of victorious (+) boats in the America's Cup yacht race as inspiration. Wingfoot Lake Hangar in Akron, Ohio is used as the primary base of operations for these vehicles. Often seen with the (*) yellow letters of its company against a blue background, for the point, what are these corporate airships belonging to a tire manufacturer? | Goodyear Blimps (accept Blimps used by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company; prompt on "airship"; prompt on partial answers) |
| Sydney Camm contributed to the design of this aircraft's progenitor, the P.1227. This aircraft played a key role in the Falklands War, taking off from the HMS Invincible to intercept Argentinian surveillance aircraft. The second generation of this aircraft featured an improved (+) Pegasus engine capable of providing up to 96 kilonewtons of downward thrust. Also known as the AV-8, this aircraft was replaced by the U.S. Marine Corps in 2015 by the (*) F-35B. For the point, name this aircraft, notable for its vertical takeoff and landing capability. | Harrier Jump Jet (accept AV-8 before mentioned; accept Hawker Siddeley Harrier; accept Sea Harrier) |
| David Grinspoon wrote a book titled Chasing [this spacecraft], which was co- written by its team lead, Alan Stern. A telescope called Ralph and a UV spectrometer known as Alice were taken on this mission, which studied a wall of (+) hydrogen. Though Pioneer 11 could potentially be overtaken by this spacecraft, it will never pass Voyager. Nine years after launch, this spacecraft, which was in hibernation for much of its (*) post-Jupiter phase, finally made a flyby of Pluto. For the point, name this NASA space probe. | New Horizons (accept Chasing New Horizons) |
| A compartment affected by this event was among the items found by the USS Preserver. Gregory Jarvis and Ronald McNair were among those affected by this event, whose central figures aimed to study (+) Halley's Comet. Occurring 73 seconds into its central effort, this event prompted investigations into a pair of seals shaped like an (*) "O." A wall next to a fuel tank was burned through by a solid rocket booster during this event affecting a crew of seven. For the point, name this 1986 disaster. | Space Shuttle Challenger disaster (accept OV-099 disaster; accept "crash" or clear-knowledge equivalents in place of "disaster"; prompt on "Space Shuttle disaster") |