Let the Concorde Fly Again—Advancements in Supersonic Aviation

Not that long ago, everyday Americans made heroes of the pilots with "the right stuff," dreaming that soon they, too, would break the sound barrier. That was no flight of fancy. After all, in a single lifetime, aviation had progressed from the Wright Brothers' wood-and-canvas fliers to rocket-powered X-planes that reached the edge of space.

That dream may have stalled, but today's engineers want to revive it.