This was really the age of experimentation, where no ideas was to whacky and everything was tried, giving to weird designs.

Perhaps because Google wanted it?

If it all comes true...... Google will change it name to Cyberdyne Systems down the road and rename its huge distributed fields of servers to Skynet.

makes sense. less digital stuff to fry in case of an EMP.

Actually the failure was due to a circlip in the transmission coming loose especially during sudden bursts of power. Once that came off, the transmission self-destructed.

Exciting stuff I have to say. Wish I could have worked at NASA.

While we suspect both are up to no good snooping around, NSA is caught with its pants down, so to speak, but PLA is still wearing theirs ..

Looking at this close formation, I am wondering how they detect each other on their cockpit radar? Will they have any signature or its just all blank and they have to rely on visuals.

At 42 light years away, even if we travelled at the speed of light, it will be the next generation that gets there assuming the space travellers have families on board.

Looking at the design using aluminium, I am just wondering why the need for a rigid aluminium body? Looks wise, its great but its hardly going to help with the aerodynamics seeing its top speed is in the two digit mph.

I am just thinking how much of the research technology found and used here is "borrowed" by NSA and given to tech firms here.

I am still amazed that they achieved all these with nothing more than stopwatches and relays and wires, and a lots of nuts and bolts.

I think the whole world needs a good dose of celebrating human achievements and curious amazement and co-operation rather than politicising others accomplishments, name-calling and bashing others achievements.

That wall of water must have created a huge area of little lift and potentially was depending on the forward momentum to get them through.

If you think about it, could then WE be a group of SRPs sent out to cover the galaxy many many years ago by our creators in other galaxies? We are; after all; meeting all the requirements set out as above.. ie self replicating exponentially and creating from resources found in our surroundings.

Hmm.. if that be the case and if they happen to be more advanced, they would already have destroyed their atmosphere, depleted their natural resources, over populated and eager to take over another planet.

Sound like its really time to lobby the UN or WorldBank or someone to prepare a budget for inter-stellar space craft.

Gosh.. U guys are really serious about this :)

So does this mean they have been doing knee surgery wrong all the time and cutting them up wrongly or severing stuff that were not supposed to be severed? :|

I would guess that such a major bump is really going to put a dent in the airframe.. How do they go about with that? Remove the front of the plane and bolt on another like in an auto collision?