#aerospace-engineering
18 episodes
#2988: How Aircraft Defeat Ice: Three Layers of Defense
Ice on wings can kill. Here's how aviation built three independent defenses against it.
#2971: How Much Fuel Does Your Suitcase Really Burn?
Baggage fees aren't about fuel savings. The real story is a $5.7 billion profit center dressed up in green PR.
#2970: The $300,000 Paint Job: Inside Airliner Coating Science
Why painting a 737 costs more than a house and involves self-healing chemicals, thermal stress math, and 1,100 square meters of precision.
#2702: The Surprising Secret of Jet Thrust
Where does all that fuel live, and how does a spinning fan produce enough thrust to lift a 747?
#2451: Why Old Fighter Jets Still Train New Pilots
Why air forces still train pilots on 50-year-old aircraft instead of simulators or frontline fighters.
#2236: Metal at Forty Thousand Feet
Could 1903 metallurgy have built a plane to fly at 40,000 feet? The answer reveals how materials science, not aerodynamics, was aviation's deepest ...
#1991: Why 20 Clean Qubits Beat 1000 Noisy Ones
Israel just unveiled its first 20-qubit superconducting quantum computer, and it's not about size—it's about precision and control.
#1410: When Probability Decides Peace: The Unseen Math of Missile Stray
Why do high-tech missiles miss their marks? Explore the physics of CEP, sensor drift, and the terrifying math of modern ballistic warfare.
#1264: The Physics of Impact: How Hypersonic Missiles Die
Discover why hypersonic collisions turn metal into fluid and how the atmosphere sorts debris into a deadly rain of fire.
#1194: The Vacuum Packing Problem
How do you fit a supercomputer into a 70cm tube? Discover the engineering "wizardry" behind the Arrow 3 missile defense system.
#1140: The G-Suit Paradox: From Fighter Jets to Commercial Cabins
Transitioning from fighter jets to airliners is a total recalibration of physics, philosophy, and psychology in the "comfort corridor."
#1046: Breaking the Arc: The High-Stakes World of MaRV Tech
Discover how MaRVs are breaking the predictable math of missile defense and shifting the global balance of power.
#1016: The Immortal Airframe: Why 70-Year-Old Planes Still Fly
Explore how 70-year-old bombers and tankers stay flight-ready using digital twins, 3D printing, and cutting-edge structural engineering.
#1006: When a Plastic Box Becomes a Life-Support System
Discover the material science and engineering that turns a plastic box into a high-tech shield for your most expensive equipment.
#936: The Physics of Interception: Why Missile Debris Still Falls
What happens when a missile the size of a building is hit in space? Explore the physics of kinetic kills and why falling shrapnel remains a threat.
#909: Why Air Defense Is Never Hermetic
Why isn't air defense 100% effective? Herman and Corn break down the high-stakes game of physics and decoys happening at the edge of space.
#705: When a Bullet Hits a Bullet at Mach 10
Explore the physics of "hit-to-kill" technology and how lasers are reshaping the future of multi-layered missile defense systems.
#588: The Human Choreography of Space
Think satellites are driven by joysticks? Herman and Corn dive into the complex, high-stakes world of mission control and orbital maintenance.