Survival in the Skies

Space suits allowed Neil Armstrong to walk on the moon and will allow explorers to walk on Mars; the evolution of the technology, from the first crude suit that nearly killed early cosmonauts to the "personal habitats" of the Space Station.

The development of the parachute required huge leaps of faith by pioneering engineers and courageous test jumpers; the untold story of parachutes, from early test jumps during World War I to the massive chutes that land vehicles on Mars.

Today's ejection seats are computer-controlled flying machines that have saved the lives of more than 10,000 pilots; the stories of pilots whose lives have been saved and the inventors who designed and tested new generations of ejection seats.

The jet engine changed civilization forever, making global travel cheaper and faster; the history of jets, as told by the inventors and the pioneers who risked their lives to pilot them to new heights and speeds.