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Happy anniversary, B-2 Stealth Bomber

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American


Nineteen years ago today, the U.S. Air Force flew a B-2 Spirit bomber—better known as the Stealth Bomber—for the first time. The flight came at a cost of billions of dollars, as the sophisticated technology that allows the bomber to evade radar detection required far more development than the Air Force had budgeted.

Two nights ago, I watched one fly over Yankee Stadium as Sheryl Crow sang the Star-Spangled Banner before the 79th MLB All-Star Game. Here's the photo I took. (And yes, I stayed until the end. The words and time on the screen in the other photo say it all.)

I must admit it was a bit unnerving to be in the shadow  of one of these things. But I did feel safer in my regular bleacher seats than I might've if I was sitting closer to home plate after reading this story.

 


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Ivan Oransky is editor in chief of Spectrum and a distinguished writer in residence at New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. He is a co-founder of Retraction Watch and a volunteer member of the board of directors of the PubPeer Foundation.

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