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MIT and NASA Designing Silent Aircraft

Posted by samzenpus on from the Fly-the-silent-skies dept.

Iddo Genuth writes "Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics recently won a contract from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to design quieter, more energy efficient, and more environmentally friendly commercial airplanes. The two-million-dollar contract from NASA is just an initial step in bringing green technologies to the sky."

19 of 176 comments (clear)

  1. It's called a balloon. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's called a balloon.

    1. Re:It's called a balloon. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Snake Plisken called: He wants his glider back before the capsules lodged in his arteries explode and he'll be dead in ten or fifteen sec...(*strangle/choke*)

    2. Re:It's called a balloon. by Thanshin · · Score: 4, Funny

      Or a slingshot.

      Catapult?

      Ballista?

      Trebuchet?

      Mankind can't consider itself advanced till we can send satellites to space using a trebuchet.

    3. Re:It's called a balloon. by SimonTheSoundMan · · Score: 5, Funny

      What I thought. My last university spent £2m getting one of the campus buildings into Second Life.

    4. Re:It's called a balloon. by SkyDude · · Score: 2, Funny

      it's called The Hindenburg

      --
      == First cross river, then insult alligator.
    5. Re:It's called a balloon. by QuantumRiff · · Score: 2, Funny

      They've had this feature in black helicopters for over a decade. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_helicopter How else is the UN and the Federal government going to control every aspect of our lives?

      --

      What are we going to do tonight Brain?
    6. Re:It's called a balloon. by lawaetf1 · · Score: 2, Funny

      That'll do.. Can we resume our Magic game now please?

      --
      CommentBot 0.7a running with args "-module irritate,disagree -target random"
  2. So, you're saying... by liquidMONKEY · · Score: 5, Funny

    These aircraft will be silent, but deadly?

    Sorry, just had to sneak that in...

    1. Re:So, you're saying... by CRCulver · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yes, you'll know them by their vapour trails, but you won't hear them coming.

  3. Been there, done that. by Shadow+Wrought · · Score: 2, Funny

    After all we've already had the "Whisper Jet." Of course anyone who's heard a 727 take-off knows that that is a relative term;-)

    --
    If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
  4. Re:Silent... aircraft. Huh. by somersault · · Score: 2, Funny

    Didn't hear it coming neither!

    Nobody ever thinks of us poor runway maintenance folk when designing their 400ton aircraft :(

    --
    which is totally what she said
  5. Re:Jet tehcnology can't do it ever by jornak · · Score: 2, Funny

    The truth is out there.

  6. Re:Silent... aircraft. Huh. by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 2, Funny

    Here's a picture of the prototype.

    --
    No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
  7. Re:Silent... aircraft. Huh. by Amouth · · Score: 3, Funny

    wonder if CA will try to pass a law making these jets have a noise generator so that the blind can hear them coming (you know like their trying to do with eletric cars)

    --
    '...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'
  8. Re:I can think how I'd do it. by Conditioner · · Score: 2, Funny

    This idea was invented by Shampoo.

  9. Black Helicopters by ZirbMonkey · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's about time that the stolen UFO technology currently being used in silent black helicopters is finally trickling down to private enterprise.

  10. Re:Silent... aircraft. Huh. by somersault · · Score: 4, Funny

    the governor, citing that the issue was of paramount import for stealth in the imminent rise of the machines, vetoed

    There we go, fixed that for you.

    --
    which is totally what she said
  11. Black helicopters in whisper mode.. by Paracelcus · · Score: 3, Funny

    Are a paranoids wet dream, cloaked black helicopters in whisper mode are already following me everywhere I go, I know they're there because I don't see or hear anything, really!

    --
    I killed da wabbit -Elmer Fudd
  12. Re:Engine maintance costs. by actionbastard · · Score: 3, Funny

    "...the 'drop off' ones..."

    Oh, I hope not!

    --
    Sig this!