David Szondy

David Szondy is a playwright, author and journalist based in Seattle, Washington. A retired field archaeologist and university lecturer, he has a background in the history of science, technology, and medicine with a particular emphasis on aerospace, military, and cybernetic subjects. In addition, he is the author of four award-winning plays, a novel, reviews, and a plethora of scholarly works ranging from industrial archaeology to law. David has worked as a feature writer for many international magazines and has been a feature writer for New Atlas since 2011.

Aircraft

Looking back: The biggest flying boat in history that flew only once

Some historic aircraft seem like a barrel for holding superlatives. One of these, the H-4 Hercules, goes one better because it's also at the center of one of the strangest stories involving possibly the 20th century's strangest man – Howard Hughes.
Technology

AI-designed, monolithic aerospike engine successfully hot-fired

Showing how far AI engineering has come, a new aerospike engine burning oxygen and kerosene capable of 1,100 lb (5,000 N) of thrust has successfully been hot-fired. It was designed from front to back using an advanced Large Computational Engineering Model.
Space

Dive! Dive! ESA studies space travel using Portuguese Navy submarines

In what seems like a remarkably obvious move, ESA is working with the Portuguese Space Agency and the Portuguese Navy to use life aboard a naval submarine to learn more about the effects of isolation during long-term space missions.
Space

Starliner astronauts "not stranded" another month

The two NASA astronauts "not stranded" on the International Space Station (ISS) are "not stranded" for another month. Due to a delay in the next crew rotation mission, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will remain on the station until late March.
Computers

Hot memory unit keeps computers going at extreme temperatures

Computers generally go a bit wonky when you stick them in the oven for a bit, but engineers at the University of Michigan are looking to change that by developing a new computer memory that can run at the temperature of molten lead.
Environment

World's largest iceberg escapes watery prison

Traffic in the vicinity of Antarctica has become a bit trickier now that A23a, the world's oldest and largest iceberg, has broken free of its watery trap north of the South Orkney Islands and is floating northward on the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.
Military

US Army & Navy successfully complete end-to-end hypersonic missile test

The US Army and Navy have successfully flown its Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon system in an end-to-end test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida with the Battery Operations Center and a Transporter Erector Launcher that it will use in the field.
Space

Air crash inquiry uncovers amazing detail from 100 million miles away

Future space helicopters may benefit as NASA completes history's first interplanetary aircraft crash inquiry. The yet-to-be-released technical report explains why the space agency's Ingenuity Mars helicopter crashed on January 18, 2024.
Energy

New retrofit lets micro-turbines burn both hydrogen and natural gas

As a way to keep small natural gas power plants operating in anticipation of a hydrogen economy, the German Aerospace Center and Power Service Consulting have tested a way for micro-turbines to burn hydrogen, gas, or both.