50 Years of Research on Man in Flight

This 50th Anniversary Celebration is a gala review of the last half century of research in aviation medicine. This research has fundamentally shaped the evolution of aircraft design from the wood and wire biplanes to the Space Shuttle. Many renowned scientists have worked in this creative multidisciplinary environment, to evolve pioneering knowledge and established World records that have stood the test of time. Their numbers are legend. Their efforts are unsurpassed anywhere in the world. The published literature from 1935 to 1985 has set the standard for air vehicle design in this country and abroad. Wherever man interfaces with the air vehicle, the mark of aeromedical research is clearly evident in both the hardware design and its functional operation. It is the integration of engineering and medicine which made these achievements possible. The next half century will make even bolder strokes in manned flight.