An in-depth look at the history of flight for middle school and high school readers. For centuries people had dreamed of flying like birds. A breakthrough finally came in the 18th century, when the Montgolfier brothers flew a hot-air balloon for the first time. Fixed-wing aircraft and airplanes powered by internal-combustion engines followed. Over the past century, jet-powered aircraft and powerful rockets have enabled people to go to the Moon--with the real possibility of going far beyond in the not-too-distant future. Includes definitions of science words, sidebars, timeline, glossary, further resources, and index.