Survival in the Skies

The origins of the space suit began nearly a century ago when engineer Russell Colley designed a pressurized suit that allowed aviator Wiley Post to soar at 50,000 feet. Colley's designs laid the groundwork for many of the space suits astronauts wear

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 origins of the ejection seat began over a century ago and in that time, they have saved over 10,000 lives. But as new technology continues to push the limits of aviation, engineers are constantly tasked to find better ways to propel pilots to saf