Power: Engineering Energy and Speed

In this episode, we journey from the experimental breakthrough of the Wright brothers, to the contemporary icon of modern travel, the Boeing 747, and from today's cutting edge of experimental flight, "The Lightning Strike," to tomorrows vision of interplanetary travel in Space X.

In this episode, we soar from the experimental Bell X-1 that first proved the possibility of supersonic flight, to the modern jets like the F22 Raptor. We also examine some of the largest crafts to ever fly and miniature insect inspired drones set to redefine the nature of combat.

Since the fast production methods of Henry Ford put the world on wheels, speed has influenced every aspect of cars. And the car has literally shaped our world. In this episode we surge from the once ubiquitous, utilitarian Model T, to the muscular V8 stylings of the Mustang, and from the jet power supersonic thrust to the electric game changes of Tesla.

Colossal networks of roads have reshaped the land, carving paths all over the world. But land going vehicles are not only confined to tarmac. In this episode, we venture from the revolution of the military Jeep to the smart tech driving future promised by the BMW Moterrad, and from the heavy duty Caterpillar Series 7 to the flying cars turning science fiction into science fact.

For centuries, the fight for command of the sea has determined the rise and fall of empires and nations. To rule the waves, navies around the world have been locked in a battle to develop the most powerful and technologically superior vessels.

The sea is where life on earth began. And for man, himself a product of the sea, the journey to explore and better understand this primordial world is in many ways a journey of self discovery. With waterborne craft being the oldest vehicle known to history, the sea has driven inventions since ancient times and continues to drive it today.

Artists, writers, poets seem to have found the greatest fascination and the greatest romance in the powerful engines they have watched cross bridges climb mountains, and drive though the heart of cities. The romance of trains. The story of rail travel, is the story of huge loads, extravagant luxuries, and astonishing speed.

Railways deliver the power to move people, freight, armies, and raw materials. They also have the technology to do it fast. In this episode we investigate the high speed trains that link cities, the futuristic visions of magnetic levitation and pods, and tell the story of engineering marvels from the longest train to a miniature wonderland.