College of Aviation Technology

30/10/2026

For this week’s , we celebrate Sheila Widnall, professor, researcher, first female United States Secretary of the Air Force, and the first woman to serve as Chair of the Faculty at MIT whose research heavily advanced her field.

Sheila was born in Washington. She was inspired by her early experience at the Aquinas Academy for Girls, which helped her develop a passion for education. Beyond that, she received support from locals to pursue academics. Sheila worked hard to earn her spot at MIT, which has been a leader in research for decades. She earned a Bachelors of Science, a Masters of Science, and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, showing immense devotion to her craft. She studied aeronautics and astronautics, making her a pillar woman in aerospace.

Sheila made history by acting as the first female faculty member in the MIT School of Engineering. She joined the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department, moving up the ranks. In 2020, she earned the title Professor Emerita after decades of work as a professor at MIT. This only scratches the surface at all she has accomplished!

Sheila also cared deeply about women in STEM. For example, she co-chaired the 2018 report on the Sexual Harassment of Women in Science and Technology and co-chaired the Department of Defense Task Force on Sexual Harassment and Discrimination.

Sheila Widnall earned many awards, some being, Society of Women Engineers Outstanding Achievement Award, Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Civilian Service Medal, and the NASA Public Service Medal. Sheila will continue to be a role model for women in the aerospace field.

Written by Sofia Sims

30/10/2026

Welcome to Rockhampton, Rockhampton 👋
 
Our newest Q400, VH-84H has touched down in its namesake city for the first time, marking almost 98 years of Qantas flying to Rockhampton.
 
It’s also the final aircraft introduced through our Q400 fleet renewal, with 12 additional aircraft joining the fleet. Today, QantasLink operates 43 Q400s, making us the world’s largest operator of the aircraft type.
 
With more seats, improved reliability and a more comfortable journey, the larger Q400s are helping us keep regional communities connected across Australia.
 
Our Q400 fleet carries the names of regional towns and locations right across Australia, spotlighting these incredible destinations to travellers near and far.

30/10/2026

29/10/2026

29/10/2026

Landing on another planet is far more complicated than it looks. Every world in our solar system has different conditions, from extreme temperatures and crushing atmospheric pressure to powerful winds and the absence of a solid surface.

Mercury: Temperatures swing dramatically between day and night. The surface can reach about 800°F during the day and drop to around −290°F at night.

Venus: Its surface reaches approximately 870°F, with atmospheric pressure about 92 times Earth’s sea-level pressure. These conditions make landing and surviving extremely difficult.

Mars: Humans haven’t landed here yet, but robotic landers and rovers have successfully reached its surface. Its thin atmosphere makes slowing down safely a major engineering challenge.

Jupiter and Saturn: Both are gas giants without a solid surface like Earth’s. Spacecraft can enter their atmospheres, but pressure and temperature increase dramatically with depth.

Uranus and Neptune: These ice giants have extremely cold upper atmospheres, and their atmospheres become hotter and denser deeper down. Neither has a conventional solid surface to land on, and Neptune is known for exceptionally powerful winds.

29/10/2026

🚀 NASA IS ABOUT TO MAKE HISTORY!

Today, October 29, NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk are scheduled to perform the 100th U.S. spacewalk at the International Space Station (ISS). 🌎🛰️

👨‍🚀 What will they do?

The astronauts will work outside the space station to install a new solar array that will help provide more electricity to the ISS.

☀️ Why is this important?

The space station needs electricity to run its equipment, support astronauts, and carry out scientific experiments. The new solar array will help improve its power supply.

This will be Anil Menon's fourth spacewalk, while Joshua Kutryk will be going on his first-ever spacewalk! 🤯

The spacewalk is expected to last around 6 hours and 45 minutes.

💬 Would you ever dare to work outside the space station, with Earth below your feet? 🌍