The Run Up to the Longest Total Eclipse in History
摘要
Here is a detailed account of the process which led to the June 30, 1973 flight of Concorde-001 over Wesrt Africa, in order to observe the total solar eclipse : the enthusiasm of the chief flight-test engineer and pilot André Turcat, the decision process within the Aérospatiale company and the French government, the favourable circumstances due to the fears of stratospheric pollution by a fleet of commercial supersonic aircrafts, the converging modifications of the aircraft to suit the needs of an international team of astronomers.