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NASA is best known for building rockets and spacecraft, but don't forget that "space" represents only one of the letters in the acronym. NASA also focuses on aeronautics, which means it's continually trying to improve the planes we travel in every day.
The most recent idea is called STARC-ABL, which stands for "Single-aisle Turboelectric Aircraft with an Aft Boundary-Layer propulsor." It's a terrible acronym, and for such a long-winded phrase you might expect something fancier than what it really is: an engine on the back of the plane.
originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: 727Sky
The point of this is to work with the boundary layer. A 727 would requir e extensive modification to do that. They'd lose any possible savings in the modification.
originally posted by: bladerunner44
a reply to: F4guy
727 fastest aircraft in commercial aviation? I believe that distinction goes to the Convair 880 easily capable of breaking the sound barrier, according to ex-military pilots she handled like a fighter. The 880 preceded the 727 by a few years so perhaps the 727 was the fastest of it's era, but not of all time.