Featured in vertical takeoff
DARPA Wants To Invent An Aircraft That Hovers Like A Helicopter But Flies Like A Plane
The government research agency says it will spend $150 million to develop a fast airplane that can take off and land like a helicopter.
Video: NASA’s Methane-Powered Launcher Lifts Off With a Blue-Hot Column of Flame
NASA’s Project M, an awesome concept to use vertical launch systems to send robonauts to the moon, is still moving...
Europe’s Bold Entry into Space Tourism
Private space travel has long been dominated by visionary entrepreneurs. Now that the largest aerospace company in Europe has decided to build a tourist rocket, will the race to the stars finally take off?
Autonomous Flying Ambulances Could Save Troops
When there’s no safe escape, call in the Mules: These unmanned aerial vehicles could save lives on the battlefield—and off
The All-Digital Air Taxi
Several futuristic aircraft in this issue look not only real but well used. It's all a matter of canny computer rendering.