If this fly looks weird to you it’s because it’s dead—covered in the fungus that killed it. It’s a very special type of Drosophila—one born and raised in space—and it proves that interplanetary travel could be really bad for the human immune system. So bad that we may end up dead, killed by some stupid infection.
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As of tomorrow, the longest flight in the world will shuttle passengers on a 747-400 from Sydney, Australia to Dallas, Texas. That 15-hour, 25-minute hop on board Qantas 7 may not be the lengthiest in duration, but at 8,578 miles gate to gate, it’ll lead the industry in miles flown. For a few more hours, however, Singapore Airlines’ decade-long run from Newark, N.J., to Singapore remains the record holder for both time (more than 18 hours) and distance (9,534 miles). It’s a journey that’s been on the bucket lists of the world’s most ambitious aviation enthusiasts since the city-state’s namesake airline first launched the service in 2004, and following tonight’s final jaunt, this record-setting A340-500 will touch down at Changi Airport for the very last time.
Despite this cheerless loss, it’s a spectacular time in the world of aviation. Sure, we don’t have our supersonic Concorde replacement just yet, and the Dreamliner rollout was not without significant heartbreak, but the past few years have represented a tremendous period, with banner launches from both Airbus and Boeing that will change the way we fly forever. But as with any category, aircraft manufacturing and design advances also serve to highlight the shortcomings of previous-generation products.
The Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 make massive efficiency boosts a reality, leading gas-guzzling greats like the aging A340-500 to a premature retirement. In this case, the A345’s departure from Singapore’s fleet represents not only better things to come, but also the loss of a landmark route — it’s an unavoidable compromise, and with the end in sight, I drained my frequent flier account in order to score a ticket, and set out to discover the significance of Singapore Flight 21’s retirement.%Gallery-slideshow123017%
Filed under: Transportation
This is unbelievable, but the fruit fly G tridens has somehow evolved to have what looks like pictures of ants on its wings. Seriously, its transparent wings have an ant design on them complete with "six legs, two antennae, a head, thorax and tapered abdomen." It’s nature’s evolutionary art painted on a fly’s wings.
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There’s hardly a shortage of animal inspired robots, but few are as tiny as Harvard’s autonomous RoboBee. The robotic insect has been around for a while, but researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering only recently managed a minor breakthrough: controlled flight. Using new manufacturing and design processes, the team has managed to keep the coin-sized bug aloft by independently manipulating the robot’s wings with piezoelectric actuators and a delicate control system.
“This is what I have been trying to do for literally the last 12 years,” explains Professor Robert J Wood, Charles River Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences. “Now that we’ve got this unique platform, there are dozens of tests that we’re starting to do, including more aggressive control maneuvers and landing.” There’s more to be done, however. The tiny machine still requires a tether for power and control, and researchers are still studying nature to suss out how insects cope with flying through wind and the elements. Eventually, the team hopes to outfit the RoboBee with lightweight batteries, an internal control system and a lighter chassis. For now, however, they’re just happy to learned to steer. Check out the insect in action after the break.
Filed under: Robots
Source: Harvard
Who says smoke alarms need to be nondescript beige boxes? Helsinki designer Paola Suhonen sured doesn’t think so, with her unique smoke detector that looks like a gigantic house fly.
The Lento Smoke Alarm from Finland’s Jalo works just like any other smoke alarm, though you use the entire case of the alarm to silence the alarm or to test it, which is much nicer than trying to deal with that tiny pushbutton on most alarms. I wonder if you could use a fly swatter to turn it off.
I also like how it mounts to the ceiling using 3M tape instead of screws – it’s sort of like when a fly gets stuck in one of those gooey fly traps.
[via StrangeLine via Design You Trust]
On March 19, 2009, the crew of the Discovery flew around the International Space Station after undocking at the end of mission STS-119. They filmed this awesome video—which has been sped up—that shows the orbiting structure in amazing detail. It’s hard to believe we built that thing—and at the same time, I wish we had a much larger one by now. Just like 2001. More »
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