For as long as we’ve been on this earth, we’ve looked up to the skies and envied the birds on their ability to fly. About 120 years ago we began to figure out how we might be able to join them and ever seen then the race is on in earnest for higher and faster and in the past few weeks we’ve had a few glimpses into what may ne ahead for earth bound and space flights.

The University of Central Florida and the US Naval Research Laboratory are working on an idea borrowed from exploding supernovas and studying they way they explode and applying that understanding to our most likely chemical or nuclear based future fuels. What they believe they will be able to do is to generate multiple booms from each detonation and using this series of controlled sonic booms to eventually reach Mach 17 – or Melbourne to Perth in 12 minutes.

Closer to commercialisation is a new supersonic plane from Aerion that can fly 50 passengers, 7,00 miles in under 2 hours, or Melbourne to Perth in 60 minutes.

This plane uses synthetic fuels, direct air capture to lessen carbon dioxide output and is boomless, unless its predecessor the Concorde.

And to round the stories out, Hong Kong Radio 3’s Phil Whelan and I chatted about a new ceramic paint that could be easily applied to anything rendering it invisible to radars and other detectors.

Have a listen now to all things future of travel. (18 mins 41 seconds)..