I'm not a subject matter expert, but in the last decade, there have been some huge strides forward in aerospace: SS1 for example was a _brilliant_ hack on the '

I'm not a subject matter expert, but in the last decade, there have been some huge strides forward in aerospace: SS1 for example was a _brilliant_ hack on the 'how do we get back from the edge of space without burning to cinders' problem. NASA, faced with the problem, designed high-tech and fragile ceramics. Rutan, same problem, designed a craft that emulates a badminton birdie. It's not that simple, but you get the idea.