The Atlas E-2 Space Booster, or launch vehicle, is a modified intercontinental ballistic missile developed by the Convair Division of General Dynamics and the U.S. Air Force. The basic concept of the Atlas system was proven in its first flight on June 11, 1957, followed over the years by the launching more than five hundred vehicles including the Pioneer, Ranger, Mariner, and Surveyor. Many payloads were sent into orbit as detachable sections of Atlas missiles.
USA
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Image Credit: All 3 images are Public DomainImage Caption: A compilation of three successful launches vehicles in action. On the left is the Atlas-Centaur, the center is the Atlas-Agena, and the right is the SM-65A Atlas missile.Era_date_from: 1957
1985
The quantities of materials used in the building are staggering: 12,000 tons of structural steel; 42,000 cubic yards of concrete - consisting of 65,000 barrels of cement and 25,000 tons of sand; 360,000 feet of piling; and 10,000,000 bricks. At the time of its construction, Atlantic City Municipal Convention Hall was believed to be the world's largest hall, capable of seating 40,000 people. It continues to serve as a meeting place for shows, pageants, sporting events, and conventions. It is a structure of heroic proportions.
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Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Paul Lowry (CC BY 2.0)Image Caption: The Atlantic City Convention Hall maintains its magnificence even as it approaches 90 years of age.Era_date_from: 1926
1983
Ithamar A. Beard, an engineer of some prominence in New England, surveyed the mill brook and selected the best site for a storage dam. Contractor Simeon Cobb, knowledgeable of contemporary civil engineering practices, made major changes to the dam's original design, converting the linear dam into a gentle arch.
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Image Credit: Courtesy Wikipedia/Ymblanter (CC BY-SA 3.0)Image Caption: The Ascutney Mill Arch-Gravity DamEra_date_from: 1834
1970
With its landscaped embankments, limited access, and depressed roadway, Arroyo Seco Parkway (now known as the Pasadena Freeway) became the prototype of the Los Angeles freeway system. Motorists enjoy a scenic drive featuring landscaped embankments lush with native chaparral. The curving alignment traverses a chain of small parks shaded by sycamores and eucalyptus and exposed views of the snow-capped San Gabriel Mountains.
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Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/prayitno (CC BY 2.0) Image Caption: Arroyo Seco Parkway (also called the Pasadena Freeway) as it is seen today by thousands of commutersEra_date_from: 1940
1999
The Bonneville Dam, Columbia River Power and Navigation System consists of 55 major projects on Oregon's Columbia River and is said to be the largest hydroelectric system in the world.
The Columbia River forms part of the border between Washington and Oregon and flows inland through the only waterway that crosses the Cascade Mountains. To harness the energy of the ninth longest river in North America, engineers developed unique design and construction approaches to overcome problems caused by depth of water, current velocity, and an irregularly-shaped river bottom.
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Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Ann Larie Valentine (CC BY-SA 2.0)Image Caption: The impressive power of the Bonneville DamEra_date_from: 1938
1987
Work began in 1887 on the high-level truss "Winner Bridge" crossing the Missouri River at Kansas City. The piers were completed in 1890, but for financial reasons the project was suspended. John Alexander Low Waddell, renowned civil engineer, prepared an alternate design for a lift bridge in 1895, which would ultimately be built as the Armour-Swift-Burlington Bridge.
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Image Credit: Courtesy Wikipedia/Americasroof (CC BY-SA 2.5)Image Caption: The Armour-Swift-Burlington Bridge it its lowered position over the Missouri RiverEra_date_from: 1911
1996
With a water table several feet below ground level, New Orleans faced a crisis after every heavy rainfall, not just through flooding but also through disease (yellow fever and malaria) caused by impure water. New Orleans was dependent on mechanical means for lifting water from its canals and sewage systems.
A. Baldwin Wood (1879-1956), a young assistant city engineer, designed and installed a system of large screw pumps (axial flow machines) to syphon water and accelerate drainage. By 1915 the Wood screw pump became the most advanced drainage pump in use.
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Image Credit: Courtesy ASMEImage Caption: This 14-foot tall Wood Screw Pump, constructed 1929, drained even more sewage/water/drainage than the 12-foot drains that preceded itEra_date_from: 1914
1974
6225 Vectorspace BlvdTitusvilleState: FLZip: 32780Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/history/landmarks/topics-a-l/air-and-space-transportation/-162-apollo-space-command-module-%281968%29, http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo14info.htmlCreator: North American Aviation
The Apollo was the vehicle that first transported humans to the moon and safely back to earth. Nine lunar flights were made between 1968 and 1972. The command module, built by North American Aviation (at the time of launch, North American Rockwell Corporation), accommodated three astronauts during the mission. It was the only portion of the Apollo spacecraft system designed to withstand the intense heat of atmospheric re-entry at 25,000 mph and complete the mission intact. This command module at Rockwell flew as Apollo 14 in 1971.
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Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Chad Nordstrom (CC BY 2.0) Image Caption: The real Apollo Space Command Module on display at the Kennedy Space Center's Saturn V Building.Era_date_from: 1968
1992
The Apollo lunar module (LM-13) was developed by the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp. (now Northrop Grumman). The LM's main functions were to carry two astronauts from lunar orbit to the moon's surface, and then return them to lunar orbit to rendezvous and dock with the Apollo command-service modules. On the surface, the LM served as a shelter and base of operations as the astronauts carried out their exploration and experiments. On July 20, 1969, the LM "Eagle" touched down on the moon, becoming the first piloted spacecraft to land on a celestial body other than Earth.
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Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Michael Gray (CC BY-SA 2.0) Image Caption: The Apollo Lunar Module LM-13 on display in the Cradle of Aviation Museum Era_date_from: 1972
2002
"An essential part of the human experience is to create an aesthetic atmosphere."
The George Washington Bridge represented a departure in suspension bridge design. Chief Engineer O.H. Ammann developed a system of stiffening trusses that offered greater flexibility and saved the project nearly $10 million. Initially, just six of the upper eight lanes were paved, but Ammann designed the bridge to easily accommodate a future lower level.
Swiss-born O.H. Ammann (1879-1965) was Chief Engineer for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey during the bridge's construction.
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Image Credit: Original Image: Flickr/Marcin WicharyImage Caption: George Washington BridgeEra_date_from: 1931
1981
Innovations
