In an ongoing tradition, let’s take another look at some Star Wars-inspired aerodynamics. This year it’s the TIE fighter’s turn. Here, researchers simulate the spacecraft trying to escape Yavin 4’s Keep reading
Tag: supersonic
Imaging a New Era of Supersonic Travel
Supersonic commercial travel was briefly possible in the twentieth century when the Concorde flew. But the window-rattling sonic boom of that aircraft made governments restrict supersonic travel over land. Now Keep reading
An Exoplanet’s Supersonic Jet Stream
WASP-127b is a hot Jupiter-type exoplanet located about 520 light-years from us. A new study of the planet’s atmosphere reveals a supersonic jet stream whipping around its equatorial region at Keep reading
Reapproaching Supersonic Air Travel
Before the Concorde even began regular flights, protests over its sound levels caused the U.S. and many other countries to ban overland commercial supersonic flight. Those restrictions have stood for Keep reading
Can Explosions Deflect Bullets?
In one of their most Mythbusters-like videos ever, the Slow Mo Guys ask: can an explosion deflect a bullet? To find out, they built out a system to trigger a Keep reading
Test Firing a Rocket Engine
Watching a rocket engine start up in slow motion is always fun. This Slow Mo Guys video shows a test fire of one of Firefly’s engines, which is capable of Keep reading
Sonic Booms and Urban Canyons
In the days of the Concorde — thus far the world’s only supersonic passenger jet — noise complaints from residents kept the aircraft from faster-than-sound travel except over the open Keep reading
Inside a Champagne Pop
When the cork pops on a bottle of champagne, the physics is akin to that of a missile launch in more ways than one. In this study, researchers used computational Keep reading
Re-Entry For X-Wings
Fans of sci-fi and fantasy have a long-standing tradition of exploring the physics and/or practicality of creations in their fandom, and Star Wars fans are no exception. Here engineers ask Keep reading
Landings Beyond Earth
With planning for manned and unmanned missions to the Moon, Mars, and many asteroids underway, engineers are using numerical simulations to understand how spacecraft thrusters interact with planetary surfaces. Most Keep reading