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Impossible Engineering

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How Do Bridges Withstand High Winds

The Severn Bridge is one of Britain’s most iconic engineering marvels. Its key to combating high winds is its unique bridge deck shape.

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The innovative Maglev train can move up to 431 kilometers/267 miles per hour using magnetic levitation.WWW

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A Train that Levitates

Chicago engineers took railway innovations to new heights when they created some of the first elevated train stations in the early 1890s.WWW

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Chicago’s Historic L Train

Kansai International Airport was Japan’s first ever 24 hour airport and, at the time, was the longest building in the world. Check out the cool innovations engineers added to make it withstand an earthquake.WWW

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Earthquake Proofing an Airport

This building may not look like much, but back in 1796 it was an innovative skyscraper in comparison to the rest of the world. This was the first time an iron frame was used in a multi-story building, paving the way for modern day architecture.WWW

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The World’s First Skyscraper

The architects that built these pagodas hundreds of years ago made each floor flexible enough to survive earthquakes.WWW

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The Secret Behind the Pagoda’s Design

The Netherlands has always fought to keep the North Sea at bay. As the country’s population began to expand, there were fewer and fewer dry places for people to live and farm on.WWW

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How Windmills Saved the Dutch

NASA’s Orion Spacecraft will travel farther than any other crew exploration vehicle in history. Its destination? Mars.WWW

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5 Incredible Facts About The Orion Spacecraft

As we travel farther up through the atmosphere, air gets harder to breath because pressure goes down and the oxygen molecules are more spread out.WWW

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How Do High Altitudes Affect Your Body?

Robert Goddard built his rockets using liquid propulsion, a mixture of gasoline and oxygen. The higher the temperature, the greater the thrust.WWW

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Goddard’s Rocket Innovations

Orion’s ginormous solid rocket motor generates 3.6 million pounds of thrust! That’s the equivalent of 14 jumbo jets operating at maximum power.WWW

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Orion’s Space Launch System is the Most Powerful Yet

The Severn Bridge is one of Britain’s most iconic engineering marvels. Its key to combating high winds is its unique bridge deck shape.WWW

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How Do Bridges Withstand High Winds

Polytetrafluoroethylene also known as PTFE is the non-stick coating used on pans. This demonstration shows how PTFE can help reduce friction.WWW

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How Does PTFE Make Things Slippery?

The Millau Viaduct was built over one of the deepest, widest, and windiest canyons in the world. The two ginormous bridge deck pieces were slid together and assembled like a giant jigsaw puzzle.WWW

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Assembling the World's Tallest Bridge

The Millau Viaduct is the tallest bridge on Earth. It measures 1,125 feet tall, 1.5 miles long, and the bridge deck sits nearly 900 feet above the ground.WWW

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Top 3 Facts About the World's Tallest Bridge

Engineer Gustave Eiffel completely revolutionized bridges when he proposed an arch that sat underneath the bridge deck. The design was later a key part of his most famous creation, the Eiffel Tower.WWW

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This is the Innovation that Changed Bridges Forever

The stadium’s twin arches soar over 300 ft above the playing field. Together, they distribute 19 million pounds of thrust into four concrete abutments.WWW

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The tower is almost double the height of Chicago's Hancock Center -- but on a footprint 51% smaller.WWW

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How the Tokyo Skytree Became the Tallest Free-Standing Tower in the World

Oil dampers, modeled on the ones on NASA's launch towers, allow the Skytree to sway instead of collapse.WWW

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The Tokyo Skytree Can Survive Earthquakes and Typhoons

Polytetrafluoroethylene also known as PTFE is the non-stick coating used on pans. This demonstration shows how PTFE can help reduce friction.WWW

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The Millau Viaduct was built over one of the deepest, widest, and windiest canyons in the world. The two ginormous bridge deck pieces were slid together and assembled like a giant jigsaw puzzle.WWW

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Reusing spacecraft means landing them on the ground -- and using airbags to protect the crew on impact.WWW

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Airbags Can Also Save Lives in Space

Engineer Gustave Eiffel completely revolutionized bridges when he proposed an arch that sat underneath the bridge deck. The design was later a key part of his most famous creation, the Eiffel Tower.WWW

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The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module is small and light to launch, and then expands once in orbit.WWW

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The Future of the Space Station is Inflatable

Instead of a propeller and a rudder, LCS ships use high-powered water jets for propulsion and maneuvering.WWW

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Water Jet Engines Give Navy LCS Ships Incredible Maneuverability

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The new Littoral Combat Ships use a trimaran design for greater speed, agility, and stability.WWW

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The USS Indepedence is the Navy's first high-performance trimaran combat ship

When it was originally built, the Hoover Dam was the largest concrete structure in the world. It weighs 6.6 million tons and stands 700 ft tall. The biggest challenge engineers faced while building the dam was the extreme heat.WWW

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Using advanced robotics and 6,000 workers, Tesla's factory can produce 2,000 electric cars per week.WWW

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3,160 tons of water per second pour over Niagara Falls. As the water crashes over the top, all the potential energy is converted into kinetic energy and comes down with tremendous force.WWW

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