Aerial View - Wright Brothers National Memorial

The world has celebrated a century of human flight with the one hundredth anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station shared the spirit of flight accomplishments and commemorated the centennial celebration with this image of Kitty Hawk and the Wright Brothers National Memorial.

Kitty Hawk is located on North Carolina's Outer Banks. The Wrights used the Outer Banks' prevailing winds and the altitude gained by climbing a 90-foot hill (Kill Devil Hill, now in the town of Kill Devil Hills) to successfully demonstrate powered flight. The large circle on the image is a road ringing Kill Devil Hill, now part of the Wright Brothers National Memorial. A large granite monument sits on top of the hill.

• Wright Brothers National Memorial



Photo courtesy Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory at Johnson Space Center.