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  • ✅ Hawaii green lights electric sea gliders to connect islands

✅ Hawaii green lights electric sea gliders to connect islands

Plus: Japanese lunar lander struggles to power up, China’s Mach 7 “dream shell”

Forget taking the ferry — Hawaii's islands will soon be connected by electric seagliders skimming over waves at 180 mph. Propelled by underwater wings after takeoff, these vessels will combine yacht-like buoyancy with aircraft flexibility to fly 30 feet above the waves.

A new state initiative is bringing transport inventor Regent into the fold to help launch the zero-emissions crafts on high-priority routes as early as 2025. Learn more about how Hawaii’s connectivity could be about to get an exciting upgrade in today’s Must Read.

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How the F-16’s innovative engineering blazed a trail for the F-22 and F-35

On January 20, 2024, the F-16, nicknamed Viper, marked its 50th year as the world's top fighter with 3,100 models in 25 countries.

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MUST READ

With the Hawaii Seaglider Initiative (HSI) connecting public agencies with private companies like seaglider-maker Regent Craft and airline operator Mokulele, the state hopes residents will be zipping between Maui and Oahu faster than you can say “aloha.” Carrying 12 passengers at a time, initial studies show locals may pay only $30 for trips. Cargo capabilities should reduce supply chain costs too.

Hawaii hopes to improve quality of life and access to opportunity across the archipelago. Island-wide emissions should fall too, as these electric craft make travel easier and more sustainable than ever. 

Japan achieved its first ever targeted Moon landing on January 20th with the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM). But the probe soon faced crisis as struggling solar cells left its batteries depleted. Fearing restart issues, operators shut off SLIM's power. They’re now waiting for sunlight to reach a suitable angle to revive the dormant robot.

Chinese scientists allegedly tested a hypersonic smart shell inspired by America’s abandoned “Dream Shell” plans, achieving a remarkable Mach 7 velocity. The munition purportedly relies on satellite navigation and an ingenious antenna to direct its flight path toward targets with decent accuracy. If proven, China’s reported achievement may pressure Western military innovation to catch up.

JOB ALERT

In this section you’ll find the latest jobs as featured on: jobs.interestingengineering.com

Technical Production Control Professional   at   Fiserv Inc.
Lincoln
Systems Engineer, Windows IoT   at   Hunter Engineering Company
Bridgeton, MO
Signal Engineering Manager   at   Progress Rail Services Corp. Inc
Hudson (US)
Manufacturing Engineering Manager   at  Neogen &
Lansing, MI

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Question of the Day

Why are so many national space agencies competing to land on the Moon?

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YESTERDAY'S RESULTS

We asked you whether building and maintaining a permanent settlement on the Moon is a realistic goal. Here are the results.

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Yes, it's vital for humanity’s progress (42%)

🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️ Not now, but maybe if we develop our capabilities (36%)

🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ It's pointless, the Moon is dead and useless to us (16%)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ We'll never get it together enough to succeed (6%)

If sunlight begins to shine on the lunar surface from the west, there is a possibility of generating power, and we are preparing for recovery.”

From the SLIM mission team announcement on X

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