Even though NASA and Boeing are not working together anymore on their supersonic jet, some groundbreaking research came out of the project.
Infrared cameras show pilots where the plane is going.
Back and forth, over and over again. This cumbersome contraption will never be airborne, but the data from hundreds of tiny sensors embedded in the pavement will help researchers at the Federal Aviation Administration's technical center find out if runways around the world can handle the airplanes of the future. And technology under development could mean large supersonic planes that can cross the Pacific in four hours, leaving the aging Concorde in the dust. Forecasts of mushrooming air travel are the driving force behind these new designs. As more people take to the sky, the current fleet of airliners is looking increasingly inadequate.