America 250: The Air & Space Power Story

Louisiana | America 250: Air and Space Power Story — Ep. 18

This week we visit Louisiana! This state is home to the Michoud Assembly Facility, which has built some of our most important spacecraft components: everything from sections of the Apollo Saturn V rocket to the Space Shuttle's main liquid fuel tank and key elements of for the Artemis program. On the airpower side of things, we learn about the crucial role air racing played in advancing aviation in 1920s and 1930s, with special focus on Louisiana pilots Harry Palmerston Williams and Jimmy Wedell.
This episode is sponsored by PenFed.
Click the links below to learn more.
Checking - https://bit.ly/3NTjHv3
Deposits - https://bit.ly/49YD5PS

Ohio | America 250: Air and Space Power Story — Ep. 17

This week we visit the Buckeye State! Ohio is the home of the Wright Brothers and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. So, whether talking about building the Wright Military Flyer, or overseeing programs for modern types like F-47 and CCA--all paths tie back to this state. On the space side of the equation, a long line of astronauts called Ohio home, including John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, and Judith Resnik. You can learn about this and more at the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton.
This episode is sponsored by PenFed.
Click the links below to learn more.
Checking - https://bit.ly/3NTjHv3
Deposits - https://bit.ly/49YD5PS

Tennessee | America 250: Air and Space Power Story — Ep. 16

This week we visit Tennessee! The Volunteer State is home to Arnold Engineering Development Complex, which is key for both air and space test efforts. This includes a thermal vacuum chamber used to ensure satellites can withstand the extreme environment of space. We also learn about the contributions of Lieutenant General Frank Andrews, who was a pivotal leader that helped lay the foundations for American airpower in the prelude to World War II.
This episode is sponsored by PenFed.
Click the links below to learn more.
Checking - https://bit.ly/3NTjHv3
Deposits - https://bit.ly/49YD5PS

Kentucky | America 250: Air and Space Power Story — Ep. 15

This week we visit Kentucky! U.S. aviation—both civil and military— progressed after World War I thanks to the airmail industry. This sector developed new aircraft, increasingly sophisticated means of navigation, and the economic model necessary to advance flight in those pioneer years. Bowman Field of Louisville, Kentucky was a key airmail hub and later served as an important base in World War II. On the space front, we highlight space leaders from the Blue Grass State like Chief of Space Operations General Chance Saltzman as well as G. Scott Hubbard, known as the “Mars Czar” within NASA, and astronaut legend Story Musgrave.
This episode is sponsored by PenFed.
Click the links below to learn more.
Checking - https://bit.ly/3NTjHv3
Deposits - https://bit.ly/49YD5PS 

Vermont | America 250: Air and Space Power Story — Ep. 14

This week we visit Vermont! You can't discuss airpower in that part of New England without reflecting upon the contributions of the Green Mountain Boys. First formed in 1946, the Vermont Air National Guard plays a critical role at home and abroad with their F-35s. In the space domain, we also highlight key industry players that have a long history of supporting the nation’s space endeavors.
This episode is sponsored by PenFed. Click the links below to learn more.
Checking - https://bit.ly/3NTjHv3
Deposits - https://bit.ly/49YD5PS 

Rhode Island | America 250: Air and Space Power Story — Ep. 13

This week we visit Rhode Island! World War II Army Air Force airpower in the Pacific wouldn't have been possible without the US Navy's Seabees. They constructed the runways, fuel depots, operations facilities, and everything else required to advance combat flight operations. The Seabee Memorial Park and Museum in North Kingston, RI commemorates this crucial history. We also learn about spacepower's role in the Ocean State through their astronauts and the Rhode Island Space Grant Consortium.
This episode is sponsored by PenFed. Click the links below to learn more.
Checking - https://bit.ly/3NTjHv3
Deposits - https://bit.ly/49YD5PS 

North Carolina | America 250: Air and Space Power Story — Ep. 12

Mitchell Institute travels to North Carolina, where we visit the Sullenberger Aviation Museum in Charlotte, which houses a YF-102A prototype—an aircraft that formed the backbone for America’s homeland defense during some of the darkest days of the Cold War. We learn how it tied into the sophisticated SAGE air defense system. On the space side, 10 astronauts come from North Carolina, and the state is home to the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute, which was used as the primary comms relay station between President Nixon and the Apollo 11 crew.
This episode is sponsored by PenFed. Click the links below to learn more.
Checking - https://bit.ly/3NTjHv3
Deposits - https://bit.ly/49YD5PS 

New York | America 250: Air and Space Power Story — Ep. 11

This week we visit New York! The Empire State was a World War II industrial powerhouse that built a major percentage of the planes the Allies used to defat Axis forces. New York is also a key contributor to the space domain. Whether considering it’s the home of 31 NASA astronauts, or the role Eastman Kodak Company played in developing many of the optics and film used for space reconnaissance systems. You can learn more about all of this by visiting places like the Cradle of Aviation Museum, American Airpower Museum, the Rochester Museum & Science Center, and more! 
This episode is sponsored by PenFed. Click the links below to learn more.
Checking - https://bit.ly/3NTjHv3
Deposits - https://bit.ly/49YD5PS 

Virginia | America 250: Air and Space Power Story — Ep. 10

This week we visit Virginia, home of many locations and artifacts that have been instrumental in America’s air and space power story. Virginia is the home of the National Reconnaissance Office and the Wollops Flight Facility which served as the launch site for many historic space missions. In Virginia you’ll also find Langley Air Force Base which has a storied history and is the current home of Air Combat Command. The nearby Virginia Air and Space Science Center houses the YF-16, the very first F-16—one of the most successful American military aircraft ever produced.
This episode is sponsored by PenFed. Click the links below to learn more.
Checking - https://bit.ly/3NTjHv3
Deposits - https://bit.ly/49YD5PS 

New Hampshire | America 250: Air and Space Power Story — Ep. 9

This week we visit New Hampshire! Early in World War II, the Granite State witnessed a massive expansion of critical airpower infrastructure at Grenier Field in Manchester. This base served as the key launching point for single aircraft that took the northern route to the European Theater, while also sustaining a variety of additional missions—everything from training sorties to anti-submarine patrols.  The aviation Museum of New Hampshire celebrates this history. New Hampshire is also the birthplace of Alan Shepard – America’s first man in space – who later walked on the Moon in 1971 as mission commander of Apollo 14. Today, space enthusiasts can visit the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord, NH, which features interactive science and engineering exhibits, including a full-sized replica of a Mercury-Redstone rocket.
This episode is sponsored by PenFed. Click the links below to learn more.
Checking - https://bit.ly/3NTjHv3
Deposits - https://bit.ly/49YD5PS