The 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.
To learn more, please visit these websites:
MITRE Corporation
Sullenberger Aviation Museum
Kim Campbell
United States Air Force
Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI)
The Apollo-era radio telescope in the NC mountains that once spied on Soviet satellites
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Hosts
Heather PenneyDirector of Studies and Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Doug BirkeyExecutive Director, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Charles GalbreathDirector and Senior Resident Fellow for Spacepower Studies, The Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of ExcellenceCredits
Producer
Stephen Reasonover
Executive Producer
Doug Birkey
