Engineering
Winged Microchips Glide like Tree Seeds
The tiny sensors could gather and transmit environmental data as they drift through the air
Aerospace115 articles archived since 1845
Aerospace
Starlink, Internet from Space and the Precarious Future of Broadband in Rural America
President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan includes an unprecedented $65 billion for broadband deployment, but money alone will not fix the U.S.’s Internet problem. This short documentary shows why...
Aerospace
Electric Aviation Could Be Closer Than You Think
Enabling air travel to decarbonize
Aerospace
Birdlike Flight Formations Could Cut Airline Emissions
A bioinspired arrangement could save energy by allowing one plane to provide extra lift to another—if both aircraft can remain stable
Aerospace
Rubber Airplane Propellers Can Eliminate Icing
Originally published in June 1994
Aerospace
Famed U-2 Spy Plane Takes on a New Surveillance Mission
Designed with slide rules in the 1950s, the stealthy high flier still has a lot to offer
Aerospace
“We Flew 100 Feet—Really We Did”
Originally published in June 1904
Aerospace
Like Taxicabs, New Airplanes Will Need Roofs
Originally published in January 1912
Space & Physics
No One Can Explain Why Planes Stay in the Air
Do recent explanations solve the mysteries of aerodynamic lift?
Aerospace
Plane Deicer Lasts Several Thousand Hours
Originally published in April 1945
Engineering
The Next DARPA X-Plane Won’t Maneuver like Any Plane Before It
The challenge is to build an airplane without moving control surfaces
Aerospace
White Oak Works Best for Fighter Plane Propellers
Originally published in September 1919
Space & Physics
Why Baseballs Are Flying in 2019
An analysis of the 2019 edition of the Major League baseball points to reasons why it's leaving ballparks at a record rate.
Technology
Israeli Spacecraft Fails to Make First Private Lunar Landing
Private organization SpaceIL’s Beresheet lander crashes down on the moon following engine and communications problems
Aerospace
Despite Similarities, Are the Two Recent 737 Max 8 Crashes a Coincidence?
Former Boeing engineer Peter Lemme weighs in on the second 737 Max 8 accident in five months
Aerospace
Detecting Fog Using Signals from Cell-Phone Towers
A novel technique can predict foggy conditions an hour before they appear
Space & Physics
Mars Mission Makes Clean Landing
The sounds of the Mars InSight Mission control room during the tense minutes leading to the landing on the surface.
Aerospace
Ion Drive: The First Flight
Researchers from MIT have flown a plane with no moving parts for the first time. It is powered by an "ion drive" which uses high powered electrodes to ionise and accelerate air particles, creating an "ionic wind." This wind drove a five-meter-wide craft across a sports hall...
Evolution
Scanning Ancient Civilizations from the Skies
An aerial laser scan of more than 800 square miles of Guatemalan jungle revealed Maya buildings, canals, roads and bridges. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Aerospace
Method of Making Oxygen from Water in Zero Gravity Raises Hope for Long-Distance Space Travel
One of the main challenges with long-distance space flight is transporting enough oxygen for astronauts to breathe and enough fuel to power complex electronics
