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The CW’s The Flash wrapped its freshman “run” on Tuesday with a timey-wimey, scientific jargon-filled episode in which Barry was presented with the opportunity to go back to the past and save his mother — but at what cost?

RelatedFlash/Arrow Spinoff: Caity Lotz’s Character Revealed — She Is [Spoiler]

With Wells/Eobard imprisoned in the Pipeline, Barry got some quality face time with the man also known as Reverse-Flash. Flash’s foe explained that he hates Barry — years from now, for reasons that aren’t important at this time. But in explaining the role he played in the Allens’ dark past,...

505 Games have today released new screenshots and more details on forthcoming aerial action game Top Gun Hard Lock which will feature a wealth of gameplay modes and features never before seen in a Top Gun-licensed title. From the press release:

Top Gun Hard Lock features aerial dog-fighting at jet speed, with the flair of a modern day action movie blockbuster! Tail-gaiting MiGs at Mach 2, this mass market action game thrusts you right into the Danger Zone. The titular Hard Lock mode allows players to engage the enemy during dogfights, enabling them to lock on to targets and not only unleash their powerful arsenal of weapons, but also perform dazzling aerial combat manoeuvres such as barrel rolls, Immelmans, loop-the-loops and hard banks. These manoeuvres offer an explosively satisfying visual payoff that keeps players right at the heart of the action.

The single-player story campaign offers 15 challenging missions set across diverse backdrops.

Thor and Iron Man have no problem getting around at supersonic speeds, but not every superhero can fly.  So what happens when The Avengers need to assemble to save the day, but saving the day isn't in walking distance?   They take the Quinjet.  What is the Quinjet?  Glad you asked.  Wikipedia: Used primarily by the Avengers, the quinjet first appeared in The Avengers #61 (February 1969) and was designed by the Wakanda Design Group, headed by the Black Panther, T'Challa. Each one is equipped with Vtol capability and five turbojet engines. A quinjet can reach Mach 2.1. Two highly specialized ultra-large Quinjets were used to transport various superheroes through space in the Infinity Crusade mini-series.  Quinjets are infamous for being destroyed soon after they appear. Also, in the New Avengers/Transformers crossover, the Decepticon Ramjet escapes, disguised as Captain America's quinjet. After the jump, you can check out some concept art for the Quinjet.

Here are some images from the New York set of Marvel's The Avengers. The images seem to show what looks to be a crashed Quinjet, which fans of the comics remember from it's appearance in Avengers #61. The majority of the jet will be added in post-production, we can still get an idea of how big the ship will be from the surrounding destruction. I for one can not wait until this arrives on May 4, 2012.

Here is a description of the Quinjet thanks to the Marvel Database:

Used primarily by theAvengers for transportation, the quinjet is first designed by the Wakanda Design Group, headed by Black Panther, T'Challa. Each one is equipped with Vtol capability and turbojet engines. A quinjet can reach Mach 2.1. Two highly specialized ultra-large Quinjets were used to transport various superheros through space in the Infinity Crusade mini-series.

A surplus quinjet ("the Champjet") was used by the...

Best-selling author of techno-thrillers whose 1977 blockbuster was made into a film

Craig Thomas, who has died from pneumonia aged 68, was at the forefront of the spy/adventure genre known as the techno-thriller, novels in which technology – usually cutting-edge military hardware extrapolated from current technological advances – is central to the plot. Thomas's 1977 novel Firefox featured the fictional MiG-31, an aircraft so advanced that it would immediately give the Russians the upper hand.

At the time, the Russians had the MiG-25 Foxbat, the fastest reconnaissance bomber and interceptor in the air, with a top speed of Mach 2.8. Thomas's Firefox could achieve speeds of Mach 5, had stealth technology which made it invisible to radar and a guided missile system controlled by the pilot by thought alone. Realising the implications to security in the west, his British spymaster Kenneth Aubrey suggests an audacious plan to steal one of the two prototype aircraft.

Firefox...

Back in August Nasa planned to solicit proposals for future air and space research. Now it's amended plans for that program, called Aeronuatics 2010, with scope for further proposals on hypersonic travel. Why, and what the heck is that?

Those earlier moves by Nasa's Chief Technologist to fund research into "innovative, fast and new" air and space technologies generated a lot of interest. It gave us insight into how Nasa thinks space and air travel may evolve in the future, and hinted at a closer integration with commercial space industries. Now we know they are bullish on hypersonic travel, too--which is potentially good news for the airline industry.

If you remember the late, lamented Concorde, you'll remember it flew at Mach 2--twice the speed of sound--which was fast enough for it to beat the sunset as it flew toward the U.S. from London and Paris. The impressive SR71 Blackbird...