"This monograph presents a history of suction-type laminar-flow-control re- search in the National Advisory Commit tee for Aeronautics and its successor organization, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, plus selected other organizations, with an emphasis on flight research. Laminar-flow control is a technology that offers the potential for improvements in aircraft fuel usage, range or endurance that far exceed any known single aeronautical technology. For transport-type airplanes, e.g., the fuel burned might be decreased a phenomenal 30 percent. Fuel reduction will not only help conserve the earth's limited supply of petroleum but will also reduce engine emissions and, therefore, air pollution. In addition, lower fuel usage will reduce the operating costs of commercial airplanes at least eight percent, depending upon the cost of the fuel and, therefore, will curtail ticket prices for air travel. Laminar-flow control is also the only aeronautical technology that offers the capability of designing a transport airplane that can fly nonstop without refueling from anywhere in the world to anywhere else in the world or that can remain aloft without refueling for approximately 24 hours. These enormous performance improvements that are potentially available for commercial or military applications, therefore, have made the concept the "pot of gold at the end of the rainbow" for aeronautical researchers."--Page 1.