Rogers E. Smith

My hero is Rogers E. Smith. He was a pilot for NASA. He flew an SR-71 Blackbird. Rogers E. Smith was one of the two original research pilots for NASA. NASA stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. “For the benefit of all.” This is NASA’s motto.

Rogers E. Smith was one of the first people to fly an SR-71 Blackbird. Smith was extremely brave because the SR-71 could fly faster than three times the speed of sound. He even had to wear a special suit.

There is a special suit you have to wear so you can stay conscious at eighty thousand feet. The suit was created to keep oxygen inside the suit because many pilots died from hypoxia.

Rogers E. Smith does not fly an SR-71 anymore because the SR-71s were retired in 1998. It was then reactivated soon after. On October 9 1999 the SR-71 had its last flight. It was soon replaced with a UAV or an unmanned aerial vehicle.

Rogers E. Smith is my hero because he was one of the first people to test and fly the fastest plane on earth. He had to be very brave to fly a plane 2200 miles an hour at 80000 feet. Rogers E. Smith lived for flying the SR-71.

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SR-71_Blackbird, 1960-2009. 3/3/09 http://www.wvi.com/~sr71webmaster/press_suit001.html,2001-2009. 3/3/09

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lockheed_SR- 71_Blackbird.jpghttp://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/Photo/SR-71/Small/EC92-02273.jpg, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Lockheed_SR-71_Blackbird.jpg