Celebrating Aerospace Pioneers

The Cal Poly Aerospace Engineering Department would like to celebrate the contributions of people in the field of aerospace engineering. We will look back on their accomplishments and look toward what will be achieved in the future.
Photo: NASA/Wikipedia

Buzz Aldrin

Buzz Aldrin is a former astronaut and fighter pilot. He was one of the first two people to land on the Moon and is the last surviving crew member of Apollo 11.
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Photo: Wikipedia/USLC

Glenn Curtiss

Glenn Curtiss was an American aviation pioneer. He is considered a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry.
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Photo: Magnificent Women

Hilda Lyon

Hilda Lyon was a British engineer who invented the "Lyon Shape", a streamlined design used for airships and submarines.
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Photo: Women’s Engineering Society

Mary Sherman Morgan

Mary Sherman Morgan designed the rocket fuel Hydyne that enabled the launch of the Jupiter-C rocket, putting the US into space.
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Photo: NASA

The Mercury 13

The Mercury 13 were thirteen US women who successfully underwent the same screening tests as the astronauts selected by NASA.
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Photo: NASA

Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer. He was the first person to walk on the Moon.
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Photo: Tuskegee Airmen Inc.

The Tuskegee Airmen

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first Black military aviators in the U.S. Army Air Corps, a precursor of the U.S. Air Force.
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Photo: CNN

The Wright Brothers

The Wright brothers were two pioneers generally credited with inventing, building, and flying the world's first successful motor-operated airplane.
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Female Pioneers in Aerospace

Black Pioneers in Aerospace

Hispanic and Latino Pioneers in Aerospace

Asian and Pacific Islander Pioneers in Aerospace

Cal Poly Alumni in Aerospace