Virgin has just completed their first passenger test of their Hyperloop “train.” This entirely new mode of transport works using electromagnetic propulsion and can reach up to 670mph! This is an exciting look at what could become a normal way to travel in years to come.
Have you always had a desire to fly like a bird? Well BMW may have just made your dream possible by creating an electric wingsuit that can actually gain back altitude when falling. This is a big jump in personal flight and it just looks out of this world! Check it out!
What Does an Aerospace Company Do? “Aerospace companies” are usually aerospace manufacturers, and they research, design, build, test, sell and maintain aircraft/aircraft parts, missiles, rockets and spacecraft/spacecraft parts. This can include but not limited to: space vehicles, aircraft engines and propulsion units. The aerospace industry is made up of military, industrial and commercial applications. It …
The best way to describe electroforming is a metal forming process used to manufacture parts using electrolyte deposition onto a model. In the manufacturing industry this model is known as a mandrel. It is a highly specialized process which sounds fairly simple in theory but not so easy in practice. We will now take a …
Although aircrafts have evolved a lot since the WWI, the major components of an aircraft have remained same. The location, size and type of the components may vary from a Cessna 172 to Boeing 727, however the primary functionality of the components remains same. Major parts of an Airplane Powerplant Fuselage Wings Empennage Landing gear …
If you were one of those kids that spent their whole childhood fantasising about working at NASA, then this article is for you. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at how you can land that dream mechanical engineering job at NASA. What do NASA Mechanical Engineers do? Mechanical engineers are vitally important to …
Farmers have The Old Farmer’s Almanac and parents have the famous book Baby and Childcare. Have you ever wondered what the ‘Bible’ of aircraft engineering is? For more than six decades, a guide has been the essential design and maintenance guide for aircraft engineers – the MMPDS. These initials stand for Metallic Materials Properties Development …
MMPDS – A Guide to “Metallic Materials Properties Development Standardization” Read More »
If your answer to the above questions is “NO”, then consider yourself lucky. You are in for a treat today. In this article we will have a very brief introduction of aerodynamics and aerodynamic forces and then, look at frequently happening events around us. We will try to decipher how aerodynamics influence these actions which …
According to Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and other tycoons of the aerospace sector, reusability is the next and compulsory technology in the world of spacecraft design – well, if we want to sustain a human presence in space. Therefore, it is no surprise that NASA has picked up the baton and is now investigating the …
We have to say that 100 km above the Earth isn’t exactly what you find on vacation brochures and going at Mach 3 beyond the edge of space doesn’t count amongst a resort’s activities. Yet, there is a market for suborbital tourism and there is a company steadily building a path towards suborbital flying. Indeed, …
Since the 60s, the majority of satellites launched into space have successfully fulfilled their tasks with new technology improving the services which they offer. Unfortunately since the first satellite was launched a number have been lost due to malfunctions or accidents and several are still out there, no longer fulfilling any mission yet still occupying …
So, a company or an individual wants to begin the aircraft design process… Have you ever wondered where to start? Thankfully, there are a few key principles which can help guide engineers through any design process, through improved analysis the fundamentals of design, this same process can be refined into a aircraft design process. However, before moving …
This short article covers the circumstances surrounding the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003 and the steps taken to correct the root cause of the accident. Space Shuttle Columbia broke up on re-entry On February 1, 2003, space shuttle Columbia broke up as it returned to earth’s, killing the seven astronauts on board. The investigation …
Engineering Disasters: Space Shuttle Columbia (2003) Read More »
At first glance, to work for NASA seems very glamorous, very satisfying but ultimately something for the “nerdy” types who like to work on their own. However, in reality life as a NASA mechanical design engineer is very different to the impression you get when you watch rocket launches from Cape Canaveral! Finding a job …
What’s It Like to Work for NASA as a Design Engineer? Read More »
What really happened to the Hindenburg? A German passenger airship called The LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and crashed during its attempt to dock in New Jersey on May 6, 1937, just after completing a transatlantic flight from Frankfurt, Germany three days earlier. The incident shattered public confidence in the giant, passenger-carrying rigid airship and …
The launch of the shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986 was a huge television event, largely because one of the astronauts was New Hampshire’s Christa McAuliffe, a member of the Teacher in Space program. This was a NASA program announced by Ronald Reagan in 1984 to inspire students, honor teachers, and spur interest in the flagging space …
Engineering Disasters: Space Shuttle Challenger (1986) Read More »
The 22nd century never seemed so close As the 21st century advances, science-fiction could soon be science fact thanks to Lilium aircraft. Whilst we are used to seeing people in flying cars in cartoons or sci-fi movies, it is not generally considered that we may actually be getting pretty close to the real thing. Given the technological …
On the morning of July 25th, 2000, there was an Air France Concorde crash moments after takeoff from near Paris based International Airport, Charles de Gaulle, killing 113 people. During takeoff, suddenly a tire was cut by a piece of metal strip debris that was lying on the way, and a large chunk of the ruptured tire …
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