People have been flying airplanes for well over a century. Engineers know how to balance all the forces at play, but still aren’t exactly sure how some of the physics of flight actually works.
Astronauts prepare to leave the International Space Station.
NASA via AP
When you’re an astronaut landing on the Moon, you can’t rely on the same gravitational cues we have on Earth. But regimented training with sensory devices could one day prevent spatial disorientation.
Military vehicles carry an earlier version of China’s hypersonic missile during a 2019 parade.
AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
China’s newest hypersonic missile, the DF-27, could sideline US aircraft carrier groups in the Pacific, while missiles in the works in China, Russia and the US threaten global security.
Small planes are easier to electrify, but larger ones aren’t far behind.
Chalabala/istock via Getty Images
Air Canada and United Airlines both have orders for hybrid electric 30-seaters. An aerospace engineer explains where electrification, hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuels are headed.
The future of our cities is being redrawn.
Alex Yuzhakov/Shutterstock
Russia’s use of hypersonic missiles in Ukraine has put the weapons in the news. Next-generation versions under development could dramatically alter national and global security.
The Boeing Dreamliner is the future of air travel.
Reuters/Alamy
The fastest things ever made by humans are spacecraft, and the fastest spacecraft reached 330,000 mph – only 0.05% the speed of light. But there are ways to go faster.
Flying fish use their fins both to swim and glide through the air.
Smithsonian Institution/Flickr
Fish fins are extremely flexible yet also strong. A special segmented fin design is the key to this useful combination of properties and could inspire new morphing materials.
In January Airbus agreed to pay nearly 4 billions euros to settle bribery charges. Theories developed by criminology researchers explain how the firm was able to operate so long with such impunity.
Recent advances in technology and new trends in commercial air travel could make supersonic flight economically viable. But regulations will have to change first.
European Space Agency astronaut Pedro Duque of Spain in the Zvezda Service Module on the International Space Station in October 2003.
NASA
CASA says we could have flying taxis operating in Australia within five years. But there are a few hurdles to clear before we see ride sharing happening in the air rather than on the ground.
Silicon Valley brought together natural surroundings, suburban homes and futuristic high-tech work. But industrial pollution betrayed the California dream.