Tupolev Tu-144
A Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic transport jet lifts off the runway at Russia’s Zhukovsky Air Development Center in September 1998. NASA teamed with American and Russian aerospace industries for an extended period in a joint international research program featuring the Russian-built Tu-144LL. The object of the program was to develop technologies for a proposed future second-generation supersonic airliner to be developed in the 21st Century.
Topics Related To: AVIATION HISTORY
The Spacemobile: NASA’s Secret Weapon for Winning America’s Hearts
In the 1960s, NASA rolled out a fleet of educational vans called Spacemobiles. They traveled the country building enthusiasm for the Apollo program, turning Americans into space race supporters, one science demonstration at a time.
The Goodyear Gizmo: A 290-Pound Helicopter, Inflatable Rotors, and Convertiplane Dreams
The Goodyear Gizmo was a 290-pound helicopter from the 1950s that almost nobody knows about. Here’s the story of Goodyear’s helicopter experiment and its inflatable rotor blade ambitions.
The McDonnell XP-67 “Moonbat” Represented Ambition Outpacing Engineering
The McDonnell XP-67 “Moonbat” combined cutting-edge technologies, including a blended-wing body and Continental XL-1430 engines, in pursuit of 472 mph performance. Engine overheating and aerodynamic instability ended the ambitious program before it could reach production.
