Samuel Pierpont Langley (August 22 1834 in Roxbury, Massachusetts near Boston, – February 27 1906, Aiken, South Carolina) was an American astronomer, physicist, inventor, aeronautics pioneer and aircraft engineer . He was the third Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and the founder of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.

Langley unsuccessfully competed to make the first working heavier-than-air aircraft. He was in part hindered by his use of heavy steam engines for power.

A number of things related to aviation have been named in Langley's honor, including:

• Langley medal
• NASA Langley X-43A Hyper-X
• NASA Langley Research Center (NASA LaRC), Hampton, Virginia
• Langley field
• Langley Air Force Base
• Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory
• Langley unit of solar radiation
• USS Langley (CV-1)
• USS Langley (CVL-27)

External links

• http://www.flyingmachines.org/lang.html