a n a l y s t   █   On April 15, 1726, while taking tea in the garden with his friend, Issac Newton (b.1642) pondered and mused on an apple which had just fallen to the ground. William Stuckeley was there:

   █    “Why should that apple always descend perpen­dic­ularly to the ground? Why should it not go sideways, or up­wards? but constantly to the earth’s centre? Assuredly, the reason is, that the earth draws it. There must be a drawing power in, and the sum of the draw­ing power in the matter of the earth must be in the earth’s centre, not in any side of the earth. There­fore does this apple fall perpen­dic­ularly, or toward the center. If matter thus draws, it must be in propor­tion of its quantity. There­fore the apple draws the earth, as well as the earth draws the apple.”

a n g e l   █   Newton's idea of a "drawing power" was of no concern to ancients, who mocked the gravity throne and continued sending prayers to heaven. Entries written on paper in temple script were folded into a pouch. A lit candle is placed in the pouch which fills w/ heated air. These baby-step "hot-air balloons" grew up strong and sent men up into the air. The first ones didn't know to carry oxygen and returned spouting wild tales of beings in the upper regions.    █    What these earliest sky-visitors encoun­tered were the four winds, visibly curious, approach­ing quickly w/ whistles and roars and yells, asking questions like what's up w/ that that nightmare from a satanic mill, a wind tunnel. .

   █    The winds, sensing fear in their visitors' eyes, dropped their voices. Zephros drew closer: "We are wind gods of the four cardinal points and heralds of seasons, sons of Typhoeus, fifth and final monster born to Gaea. We too seek a reason for existence, whether it becomes us to be suited up in pumps, turbines, and such fetters." Notos parted his lips and icicles formed: "Can these regulation systems really help w/ my restlessness? And what's up w/ welded insulation?" Euros brought up the sorest point: "Can the grip of gravity weigh me down and curb my mood?" Boreas's grumble rumbled: "MMagnetosphere constrains our empire but why? And who are these rocketeers and their reckless guidance and control?"

a i r m a n   █   Then the four winds took their gasping guests on the grand tour. Earth's atmosphere has its shape, due to gravitational grit; and atmosphere of a precise mixture of gases such that oxygen becomes its miraculous chemical product. The atmosphere gives rise to to water and a condition for all living things.    █    Ancients considered Aether as a being, today the understanding is that its aboriginal selves came together and coalesced into a paleo form, all while undergoing "bio-chemical modifications by living organisms". The mature form can be discerned when the patron god of Earth throws out optical tricks, like a mirage or a scattering of light, down here where life depends on a micro band of a macro atmosphere, begining at sea level.

a v a t a r   █   Proto-aviators studied how birds populate the air and go where they will. Wings got built and tied to men. Jumps happened and lied to men. Leonardo da Vinci (b.1452) had a solution; yet his wings-that-flap using both hands never left the page; whereas Enrico Forlaini (b.1848) dreamed up flying solutions from hydrofoils to dirigibles.

a e r i a l i s t   █   Goddesses and gods of the aether were tickled to receive prayers sent by mortals: lanterns of paper and glue filled w/ heated air and sent aloft. One granted a wish and divulged the secret of hydrogen, an invisible gas which in its native un-adulterated form possesses levitational qualities, is just about impossible to isolate. A distillation process involving a white-hot iron, a chamber, running water. Difficult to distill, hydrogen requires a chamber, a white-hot iron, and running water. Difficult to decant, it had to wait for a non-porous material to come along and able to capture and contain it.    █    A 'hot-air balloon' is a ginormous pillow with only one, small, opening. Secured onto a large basket, the pillow was fed a healthy gulp of heated air, enough to make an ascent before the trapped air cools and it sinks back to earth. This maid­en flight had passengers in the large basket: a rooster, a duck and a french sheep.

a c r o b a t   █   Ancients devised proto-kites for religious reasons, made from cloth and wood, they sped through air to send prayers to the gods; smoke from large fires was also used to 'color' the air, and send a message across a great distance. Using a kite and his keys, Benjamin Franklin Franklin (b.1706) sent a simple laboratory up during a thunder storm: kite + metal = lightning bolt. Because children should not play w/ fire, man-made clouds was not taught and kites then became the preferred toy when playing w/ the four winds.

   █    Because adults can light fires and build kites, military intelligence was born. The kites became sturdier to sculpt wind power and send better signals, e.g., to initiate a maneuver. Then aerial warfare was invented when kite fought other kites - by severing the tether.    █    Dog-earred generals carried paperbacks of 'The Myth of Icarus' into battle; kites kept getting sturdier and to finally was able carry a soldier. Soon, battalions paid visits, giving notice that the empire of the four winds was coming to an end.

a l c h e m i s t   █   The invention of gunpowder was a painstaking process, and all mistakes emitted just "smoke and flames". There were three ingredients: carbon and sulphur, when added to saltpeter (a mineral found on the surface of stones), results in a flash accompanied by fire, which burns out. This flash became the swaddling for a new kind of fire, which grew up in coddled cradles.

   █    Soldiers were quick to see its promise of new hells. A rocket is a propelled missile guided during an initial phase of powered flight. The second phase begins when gravity takes over. This path, its trajectory, comes under the study of classical mechanics.    █    Artisans went about the invention of the flash differently and dreamed up fire­works. Paper tubes are filled w/ confetti, then a spoonful of gun­powder is added. The tube is sealed and a fuse stick is inserted half way. The tube is tied to a long stick which will act as a tail, and the stick is loosely and gently inserted into the ground. Light the fuse and retreat to wait for the detonation inside the tube. A propulsive force is released and, guided by the shape of the tube, the toy rocket ascends before spilling out its contents.

a r c h e t y p e    █   When the Second World War ended, aviators and their support crew returned to civilian life. They also returned to the clouds and looked ahead to an aerospace age; in 1960 the sky became crowded.    █    To get into shape, they practised by dividing up the North Pole, now a melting map. With rocket science, they are taking baby steps to pin down a map for a hypothetical heaven.