A New Sputnik Moment
When an F-22 fighter jet destroyed a Chinese high altitude balloon last week, many saw the latest high tech aircraft deflating an old-fashioned novelty. The ...
aerocene
Solar Thermal Atmospheric Research Station (STARS) Proposals, 1978-1982
In the early 1960s, Buckminster Fuller did back-of-the-envelope calculations for a giant, solar-heated balloon that he called Cloud Nine. This 1-mile (1.6km)...
sailing the sky: endless gliding takes shape
While sailing the sky is often used as a flight metaphor, sailing physics may be directly applicable to continuous flight. Can two wings, one functioning as ...