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Lots of fields have run into fundamental physical limits that pause progress. Rocketry is another. In the 1950s we pretty much figured out how to throw gas out

Lots of fields have run into fundamental physical limits that pause progress. Rocketry is another. In the 1950s we pretty much figured out how to throw gas out the back as fast as possible, and so not much has happened since that improves rocket performance. We did finally figure out how to reuse a bit of the rocket affordably though so that has been nice. similarly airplanes stopped getting faster because we hit the point where the atmosphere starts melting you to death, and not much can be done about that. battery chemistry is hardly dead though, since 20 years ago there have been all kinds of improvements in different directions. Just no big leaps. But the little improvements add up.

reisse 4y ago
> similarly airplanes stopped getting faster because we hit the point where the atmosphere starts melting you to death, and not much can be done about that. While I agree with your point in general, have to nitpick here. Thermal protection is mostly solved problem by now (think Space Shuttles and other reentry vehicles). Commercial airplanes stopped getting faster because they hit a sweet spot between speed and fuel consumption. Military airplanes are stuck because hypersonic aerodynamics is very hard and different from subsonic/sonic/supersonic ones.
londons_explore 4y ago
Rocketry progress stopped because world governments cut back funding dramatically in the 1960's, and private demand for rocket launches isn't much. Aeroplanes stopped developing because the whole industry is now highly regulated. The barrier to getting a new type of plane/engine design to market is beyond what pretty much all startups are capable of. That's why we still fly some planes like cessna designed in the 1960's, back when regulation was more lax. I don't think either rockets nor planes are anywhere near fundamental physical limits if we took away the 'human' limiting factors.

reisse 4y ago

> similarly airplanes stopped getting faster because we hit the point where the atmosphere starts melting you to death, and not much can be done about that. While I agree with your point in general, have to nitpick here. Thermal protection is mostly solved problem by now (think Space Shuttles and other reentry vehicles). Commercial airplanes stopped getting faster because they hit a sweet spot between speed and fuel consumption. Military airplanes are stuck because hypersonic aerodynamics is very hard and different from subsonic/sonic/supersonic ones.

londons_explore 4y ago

Rocketry progress stopped because world governments cut back funding dramatically in the 1960's, and private demand for rocket launches isn't much. Aeroplanes stopped developing because the whole industry is now highly regulated. The barrier to getting a new type of plane/engine design to market is beyond what pretty much all startups are capable of. That's why we still fly some planes like cessna designed in the 1960's, back when regulation was more lax. I don't think either rockets nor planes are anywhere near fundamental physical limits if we took away the 'human' limiting factors.