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JET nuclear fusion reactor shatters record for energy production
The Joint European Torus (JET) fusion reactor near Oxford in the UK has produced the highest level of sustained energy ever from atom fusion.
Quiet supersonic jet maker Aerion abruptly shuts down
Aerion has suddenly shut down, ending its dreams of building quiet supersonic business jets.
Walmart is shutting down Jet
Almost four years after it acquired the e-commerce marketplace for $3-billion, Walmart is shutting down Jet.com.
Watch jetpack pilot Vince Reffet set a new altitude record in Dubai
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Jetman Dubai's latest aeronautical achievement in a jet-powered wingsuit. The team says it's reached a major milestone with its Iron Man-like jet suit, flying nearly 6,000 feet in altitude from a standing start and working hovers, turns and maneuvers into the mix, too.
NASA’s X-59 supersonic jet is cleared for final assembly
NASA's experimental X-59 jet, which could make supersonic commercial travel a reality, has been cleared for final assembly. The X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST) aircraft, designed by Lockheed Martin, could take its first flight as soon as 2021.
Garmin's new nav system can emergency land small planes
Flying in a small plane is thrilling (and at least slightly terrifying) when things go as planned. It's another story when the pilot of the small plane is, for whatever reason, suddenly unable to fly or land it. Most passengers would have no idea what to do. And for that reason, Garmin has introduced Garmin Autoland. With the push of a button, equipped planes can navigate and land themselves.
NASA unveils stunning images of merging supersonic shockwaves
NASA has developed a new imaging technique that let them capture, for the first time, the interaction of shockwaves from two supersonic jets. They were taken by a new, high-speed camera system developed to help NASA design a supersonic airplane that produces much quieter sonic booms. "We never dreamed that it would be this clear, this beautiful," said NASA physical scientist J.T. Heineck.
Jet.com is the first online retailer selling Blue Apron meal kits
If you're Blue Apron and you see Amazon encroaching on your turf with its own meal kits and key online partnerships, what do you do? Make your kits more widely available, that's what. In a reflection of its retail promises from earlier in the year, Blue Apron kits are now on sale through Jet.com's City Grocery service -- the first time they've been available through an online retailer. Should you live in the New York City area (including Hoboken and Jersey City), you can order from a selection of quick-to-prepare two-serving kits that will reach your door either the same day or the next.
Pro drone racing confronts its amateur roots
"The drone racing league is a sport. We are a league. We do an annual season. We have a clear rule system and scoring system," Nick Horbaczewski, founder and CEO of the Drone Racing League (DRL), enthuses in a small business suite located on the second floor of the Circus Circus Casino in Las Vegas. With a deal with ESPN in the bag, his league is poised to bring the sport mainstream, and within moments of our introduction, he's let me know he's serious.
F-35 may see combat in 2018
After a very long and problematic development process, the F-35 Lightning II is about to serve on the front lines. The US Marine Corps is deploying the F-35B (the short takeoff and vertical landing variant) to ships in the Central and Pacific Command theaters in the spring and summer of 2018. The 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit is traveling aboard the USS Essex, which is headed to the Middle East, while the 31st will be attached to the USS Wasp and might head to the coast of North Korea.
NASA will take images of its quiet supersonic jet's shockwaves
When NASA begins testing its supersonic jet, you won't only hear about it -- you'll see cool images from the experiments, too. The agency has recently completed a series of flight tests proving that the imaging technique it developed is capable of capturing the shockwaves NASA's Low Boom Flight Demonstration (LBFD) aircraft will make when it starts flying faster than the speed of sound.
NASA moves ahead with plans to build a quiet supersonic jet
NASA's dreams of a quiet supersonic jet are one step closer to fruition. The agency tells Bloomberg that it'll start taking bids to build a larger (94-foot) real-world demo version of the aircraft that it tunnel-tested in June, and we now have a clearer sense of how well it'll perform in real life. The design is expected to reduce noise to no more than 65dBa, which is exceptionally quiet for an aircraft -- co-designer Lockheed Martin likens it to the inside of a luxury car. That would make it safe to fly just about anywhere. The Concorde, by contrast, was an assault on your ears at 90dBa and was limited to overseas flights.
Lilium's electric personal jet manages a vertical takeoff
The Lilium jet may look like somebody's wacky concept of a futuristic aircraft that will never be able to fly, but that couldn't be further from the truth. It has recently completed a series of flight tests in Munich, Germany, proving that the first all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) jet is capable of taking to the skies. The company even released a video of Lilium's maiden flight, which you can watch after the break.
Run-DMC sues Amazon, Walmart over online counterfeits
It's not just tech giants like Apple that are taking online stores to task for allowing counterfeit goods on their virtual shelves. Run-DMC is suing Amazon, Walmart (including Jet.com) and partners for selling bogus shirts, hats and other goods that violate the legendary group's trademark. The internet retailers are allegedly "trading on the goodwill" of Run-DMC by either allowing third parties to sell counterfeits or, in Amazon's case, supposedly selling the fakes directly.
Boom's supersonic jets will pick up where the Concorde left off
Boom founder and CEO Blake Scholl wants passengers to break the sound barrier. Since the demise of the supersonic Concorde passenger jet, commercial airlines haven't offered a quicker alternative to fly from point A to point B.
Walmart buys Jet.com to better fight Amazon
Walmart has officially acquired Jet.com for $3 billion, a purchase that will significantly enhance its online retail presence. The US retailer didn't pitch it as such, but the deal -- leaked on Friday -- will help it compete with its fiercest online rival, Amazon. "Walmart.com will grow faster, the seamless shopping experience we're pursuing will happen quicker, and we'll enable the Jet brand to be even more successful in a shorter period of time," Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said in a statement.
US Air Force says the F-35 is ready for combat
The F-35 Lightning II has faced more than a few technical problems and cost overruns in the 15 years since Lockheed Martin first won its production contract, but it's nearly done overcoming those hurdles. The US Air Force has declared that the F-35A (that is, the conventional takeoff model) is officially ready for combat. The first squadron to get the advanced jet, the 34th Fighter Squadron at Utah's Hill Air Force Base, can now deploy it on real-world missions if necessary.
EPA findings should lead to caps on aircraft emissions
It's no secret that aircraft contribute to harmful emissions like road-going vehicles, and the Environmental Protection Agency is one step closer to keeping that pollution in check. It recently finalized findings showing that some aircraft produce air pollution that contributes directly to climate change. As a result, the EPA is now free to set standards for aircraft emissions that help the US honor the Clean Air Act and, ultimately, its commitment to the Paris climate change agreement. While the US is already backing an international standard, this gives it the chance to demand tougher (or at least, more America-specific) requirements.
Black hole ejects massive energy jet after devouring a star
For the first time, scientists have caught a glimpse of a black hole ejecting a hot "flare" of matter after devouring a star the size of our sun. The discovery was made thanks to the quick action of of scientists from John Hopkins University, who worked in conjunction with a team from the University of Oxford. Hubble fellow Sjoert van Velzen from Hopkins heard last year that Ohio State U researchers had spotted a transient star that was caught in the gravitational pull of a black hole some 300 million light years away. In theory, the event (dubbed ASASSN-14li) would result in a "tidal disruption" of the star, resulting in a hot flare burst energy jet emitted by the supermassive black hole.
Four weeks with Jet (aka 'My month without Amazon')
I placed my very first order on Amazon.com for two very popular albums back on June 20th, 2000. I'd later go on to place about 230 orders, including everything from a mattress (no wait, make that two mattresses; don't ask) and soap -- lots and lots of soap. I loved Amazon so much that at one point I remember saying it was the kind of brand that could do no wrong. But, soon after that second mattress order, my romance with the company began to fall apart, thanks to shoddy logistics and problems with Amazon's renowned two-day Prime shipping.
