Fuel efficiency, noise reduction and looking like they could hide Batman are obviously high on NASA’s priority list.
Qantas is having its woes today with its fleet of A380s, but perhaps it should be looking far forward in the way that NASA is. NASA’s seeking to find cleaner and greener ways to fly, and is working with the giants of the airplane industry to come up with new concepts; while many of these may never fly or indeed get beyond the concept rendering stage, they’re fascinating to look at in their own right.