Daily Extra :
Astronomy & Space Fact
On August 29, 1929 the Graf Zeppelin, a dirigible completed a historic flight around the world that included a nonstop leg from Friedrichshafen, Germany to Tokyo, Japan, a distance of almost 7,000 miles. The airship was 100 ft in diameter & 110 ft high, including the gondola bumpers. During its operating life from 1928 to 1937, the Graf Zeppelin made 590 flights, covering more than a million miles. A total of 13,100 passengers were carried without a single injury.
Today in History:
1958: First of a series of three X-15 experimental rocket-powered manned research aircraft was rolled out at the Los Angeles plant of North American Aviation, Inc., in the joint USAF-USN-NASA program.
1961: American Rocket Society's 16th annual meeting and Space Flight Report to the Nation held in New York City.
1960: Four operational-type Polaris missiles successfully launched from submerged Patrick Henry off the Florida coast.