Boeing took to the sky for a bit of aerial fun recently, using a plane on a long-haul 18 hour flight to draw a giant line art version of the maker's 787-8 aircraft. Of course, you couldn't see the aircraft image in the sky, but instead on a map as the plane's flight path was recorded. The trip spanned nearly from Mexico to Canada and covered a total of 22 U.S. states.
Boeing has taken the wraps off its new Deep Space Gateway, a concept habitat that could serve as a crucial component for getting humans to Mars. According to Boeing, the company will use NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) to send the Deep Space Gateway up into space 'in the early 2020s,' doing so in four launches with components to assemble the habitat. Humans could use this as a stopping point of sorts on their way to Mars.
An incoming report from the US Government Accountability Office could house safety concerns about SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. The findings from this congressional investigation could threaten to delay SpaceX in its aggressive launch schedule. Those findings could also leave SpaceX's planned manned flights grounded until the uncovered issue is fixed.
Boeing's CST-100 Starliner capsule won't start flying until next year, but when it does, a significant number of its components will be made through 3D printing. Boeing has recruited Oxford Performance Materials to produce around 600 parts for these space taxis, and these parts are offering some major benefits to Boeing without much in the way of negative trade-offs.
Boeing has taken the wraps off its new Starliner spacesuit for the first time, giving the public its first look at the suit that astronauts will wear on their way to the International Space Station. The spacesuit will be worn by travelers hitching rides to and from low-Earth orbit destinations (like the ISS) via the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft. Unlike traditional spacesuits, Boeing's creation is rather minimalist and very blue.
So far, the realm of additive manufacturing, which is the industrial side of 3D printing, has been limited to what is essentially a problem with scale. While 3D printing can be an appropriate solution for some problems, it isn't for all of them, since manufacturers who need large parts can't always make them with current 3D printing methods. Stratasys is looking to change that, demonstrating a new "infinite-build" system that could change the way various industries use 3D printing.
Boeing has a new prototype aircraft lavatory that, among other things, uses UV light to kill germs after each use. Many people travel on any given commercial flight and they bring their germs with them. The lavatory is arguably the epicenter of these germs and, given their cramped nature, it can be hard to avoid touching potentially unsanitary surfaces. Boeing has addressed these issues with its new prototype bathroom, enabling it to nuke germs instantly.
Airplane maker Boeing has released a new video showing off a metal that it's invented, going so far as to claim that it is "99.99% air," even featuring a clip of someone blowing a piece off the palm of their hand, as one would do to a feather. Dubbed microlattice, not only is the material incredibly light, but it's very flexible as well, with the ability to bend and flex as well as compress under pressure.
Get ready to book some airline tickets, Star Wars fans, as Boeing's new R2-D2 themed 787 Dreamliner will begin service next month. The droid-designed aircraft represents one of the first big international marketing pushes for the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens film. The plane will be operated by Japanese airline ANA, which has also revealed several other Star Wars themed aircrafts that will take to the skies soon.
The world's first all-electric propulsion satellite, built by Boeing, has officially entered operations, the company has revealed. The ABS-3A 702SP (small platform) satellite, first launched into space back in March, serves as a telecommunications satellite and was given to its owners on August 31st. Boeing built the satellite for ABS, a telecommunications company in Bermuda, which says it will be used to provide service to North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
NASA has picked four veteran astronauts to be the first crew of a commercial spaceflight, as America turns to SpaceX and Boeing to cut its dependence on Russia. Robert Behnken, Eric Boe, Douglas Hurley, and Sunita Williams will now begin trining with the two companies developing private spacecraft, ahead of missions first to the International Space Station but, eventually, manned trips to Mars which are expected to take place sometime in the 2030s.
At the Paris Air Show, Boeing's 787-9 Dreamliner performed the spectacular feat of a vertical take-off. It turns out that Boeing wasn't just filming the flight from the runway. The cockpit was decked out with cameras and Boeing has assembled the footage to take you on a wild ride. Thanks to an innovative "choose your view" feature that YouTube started testing earlier this year, Boeing has released a "multi-view flying display" that lets you toggle between angles of the same scene without missing a beat.
