St. Louis Science Center: Astronomy Fact Of The Day: April 19, 2022

St. Louis MO

19 April, 2022

3:21 PM

Description

Press release from St. Louis Science Center: April 19, 2022 On this date in 2006, American naval officer and test pilot Albert Scott Crossfield passed away. While piloting the Skyrocket, an experimental aircraft, Crossfield reached speeds of 1,291 mph (2,078 km/h). As such, he was the first to reach Mach-2, or twice the speed of sound. Crossfield continued flying until his death and passed away in a plane crash while piloting a Cessna 210A. To read more about Crossfield, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/about/biographies/pilots/scott-crossfield.html This press release was produced by St. Louis Science Center. The views expressed here are the author's own.