Why automobile ? Why astronauts ?
Automobile and astronauts are involved in 2008 Le Mans Sarthe Wright Centennial
Why automobile? Why Automobile Club of West (ACO, Le Mans, France)?
Aero-Club of France, at its debuts, is founded by Automobile Club of France. Similarly, the Aero-Club of sarthe is founded by Automobile Club of sarthe (ancestor of Automobile Club de l'Ouest-ACO / West), in fact the same team who organize the first historical automobile grand prix in circuit: ACF 1906 Grand Prix in Le Mans.
Leon BOLLEE, President of Aero-Club of Sarthe, is one of the founders of Automobile Club of Sarthe. The same for Georges DURAND (who would invent later on the Le Mans 24 Hour race), and others, JAMIN, VERNAY, CAREL and so forth...
By chance, the first automobile circuit used in 1906 the famous curb of Auvours Fork (Fourche d'Auvours). Two years later, this is at the nearby Auvours artillery camp where Wilbur WRIGHT would accomplished all his aerial achievements with or without passenger, before numerous witnesses and pioneers of automobile industry: Giovanni PIRELLI, Charles ROLLS, marquis DE DION, Alewxandre DARRACQ, Léon BOLLEE, Louis RENAULT, Edouard MICHELIHN, Alberto MARCONI,...
Why astronauts?
Once Neil ARMSTRONG and Buzz ALDRIN walk on the moon on 21st July 1969 at 2.56 AM (GMT), during APOLLO XI mission, they bring with them pieces of fabrics and of wooden made propeller of the WRIGHT FLYER I airplane used by Orville and Wilbur WRIGHT during the 4 first powered, sustained, controlled and reproductible flights achieved on 17th December 1903 above the dunes of Kitty hawk, North Carolina, USA.
On the other hand intellectual exchanges between all astronauts, spationauts (the French word for 'astronaut') and cosmonauts (the 'Russian' word for astronaut), are today comparable to exchanges between pioneers of aviation during early twentieth century.
That is why the international community of astronauts, modern pioneers of air and space conquest, feels quite linked with the Le Mans Sarthe Wright 2008 Centennial.
Leon BOLLEE, President of Aero-Club of Sarthe, is one of the founders of Automobile Club of Sarthe. The same for Georges DURAND (who would invent later on the Le Mans 24 Hour race), and others, JAMIN, VERNAY, CAREL and so forth...
By chance, the first automobile circuit used in 1906 the famous curb of Auvours Fork (Fourche d'Auvours). Two years later, this is at the nearby Auvours artillery camp where Wilbur WRIGHT would accomplished all his aerial achievements with or without passenger, before numerous witnesses and pioneers of automobile industry: Giovanni PIRELLI, Charles ROLLS, marquis DE DION, Alewxandre DARRACQ, Léon BOLLEE, Louis RENAULT, Edouard MICHELIHN, Alberto MARCONI,...
Why astronauts?
Once Neil ARMSTRONG and Buzz ALDRIN walk on the moon on 21st July 1969 at 2.56 AM (GMT), during APOLLO XI mission, they bring with them pieces of fabrics and of wooden made propeller of the WRIGHT FLYER I airplane used by Orville and Wilbur WRIGHT during the 4 first powered, sustained, controlled and reproductible flights achieved on 17th December 1903 above the dunes of Kitty hawk, North Carolina, USA.
On the other hand intellectual exchanges between all astronauts, spationauts (the French word for 'astronaut') and cosmonauts (the 'Russian' word for astronaut), are today comparable to exchanges between pioneers of aviation during early twentieth century.
That is why the international community of astronauts, modern pioneers of air and space conquest, feels quite linked with the Le Mans Sarthe Wright 2008 Centennial.
