# "THE 50TH YEAR: A SPECIAL REPORT" 1967 HISTORY OF NASA LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER DOCUMENTARY 71464

This NASA film from 1967, titled "The 50th Year," summarizes the history and achievements of the Langley Research Center from 1917 to 1967, highlighting its pivotal role in both aeronautics and space exploration. 0:00 Main titles. The film introduces the Langley Research Center, which has served the country's aeronautical and astronautical needs since 1917. 1:06 Paul Garber, a senior historian from the Smithsonian, explains that the center was named after Samuel Pierpont Langley, a pioneer in flight. The film also mentions the Collier Trophy , awarded for "greatest accomplishment in Aeronautics or Astronautics." NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) and later NASA won this award eight times. 2:23 The first Collier Trophy for NACA was in 1929 for the development of the engine cowling , a streamlined sleeve that reduced drag and improved engine cooling, significantly increasing aircraft performance. 3:26 Following World War I, Langley built wind tunnels to test aircraft models, which led to improved airplane designs and the development of a spin tunnel to study aircraft characteristics. This facility was later used to test models for the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo manned spacecraft. 4:21 The film notes that from 1927 to 1937, all-metal, single-wing aircraft with retractable landing gear replaced the earlier biplanes. During this period, NACA also solved the problem of ice formation on aircraft, which earned them the Collier Trophy in 1946 . 5:33 The center's…

- Kind: Documentary
- Genres: Documentary, Space, History, Industrial and advertising
- Archive: [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/71464NASAThe50thYearASpecialReport)
- Licence or status: none stated by the archive
- Who can watch: Tweens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/ia/71464NASAThe50thYearASpecialReport?play=1)