Innovation in the aerospace industry can be incredibly exciting and formative. In the span of one project, a solution could change the way we understand and navigate our world.
Beyond that, the solutions that people and companies are pursuing today could have a dramatic impact on our daily lives in the not-so-distant future.
“Impressive innovations” to keep an eye on
Recently, Popular Science compiled a list of the most exciting and impressive aerospace innovations from 2019. Their selections cover a wide range of solutions and improvements that could influence nearly every aspect of our lives. Some examples of these developments include:
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- The GPS Block III from Lockheed Martin, a fleet of orbiters with more accurate GPS capabilities and stronger signals than current satellites provide
- A Deep Space Atomic Clock, which is more precise and stable than other atomic clocks and could impact space travel for millions of years
- A supersonic aircraft (also from Lockheed Martin) that does not generate the same supersonic boom as current crafts that travel faster than sound, which has the potential to lift the ban on civilian supersonic flights over land and cut flight times in half
- The APT 70 cargo drone by Bell, which changes the way a drone flies horizontally, giving it a wider range while also allowing it to transport 70 pounds of cargo, making them suitable for delivering medical supplies and industrial components
- A mini Mars helicopter from NASA designed to fly in the thin atmospheres of Mars
These inventions have the potential to revolutionize our transportation capabilities, as well as our understanding of life beyond our planet.
Looking ahead
The science, engineering and human effort it takes to come up with new ideas and concepts and then bring them to life are incredible. It is true that not every invention, equation or solution will have a direct and profound impact on the general public. Still, each discovery has the potential to influence those that come after it.
It will undoubtedly be interesting to see what comes next as we look ahead to the end of 2020 and what new concepts may comprise the next group of impressive aerospace innovations.