Articles

A history of U.S. fighter jets that explains rapid advancements in technology and our military. From World War I to today, these aircraft have shaped air combat and military dominance.

If all goes well, in 2029, the Boom Supersonic Overture aircraft will officially enter service. This is set to revolutionize the aviation industry by bringing back supersonic passenger travel for the first time in over 20 years. The aircraft aims to achieve speeds of Mach 1.7, or 1.7 times the speed of sound. This would cut transoceanic travel times in half. Flights from New York to London could take just 3.5 hours, compared to the typical 6-7 hours on current aircraft.

At the height of the Apollo Program, in 1968, NASA began drawing up plans of its next steps to further the United States’ presence in space. The goal was rapid and cheap reusability. The Apollo Program was a success, albeit extremely costly. The entire 365-foot rocket could only be used once, as the stages were expended, and the returning capsule was never designed to be reused. So, NASA began concepts of a “Space Transportation System,” which would effectively act as a space truck, shuttling large amounts of payload into orbit. The goal was to make space travel as common and simple as commercial travel. Take off, fly, land, rinse and repeat.

Roughly a quarter of Americans believe that NASA’s budget should be decreased. This comes as no surprise since, according to polls, most Americans believe that 20% of the federal budget goes to NASA. However, the fact is only 0.48% of the federal budget goes toward NASA. All of this pays for not only the rockets but also the facilities, contracts, and paychecks of workers.

While space exploration may seem uncalculated amidst all the explosions and mess-ups, in reality, the balance of velocity and gravity is crucial to a successful mission. Spacecraft magically go up and never come down for days, weeks, months, or even years. How does this happen? Why do some spacecraft go to space longer than others?

The United States space program has never been more motivated than after Apollo 11. Riding off the momentum, the then president, Richard Nixon, established a Space Task Group report to plot a course for where the American space program would head in the next few decades.