Bradleigh Miranda Chance

The sight of a 50-foot whale breaching is breathtaking. Water slides down the whale’s back as it leaps above the surface, shooting spray in the air and then crashing back into the water. The powerful ocean giants make their own waves with mighty, mid-air twists and turns. Every now and then, a powerful spray blasts into the air from the creature’s blow hole. The average onlooker just sees a cloud of vapor, but marine biologists view it as important genetic material.

Federal Aviation Administration controllers and pilots are using new computer technology that could help flights get to their destinations faster and safer. DataComm, an instantaneous communication system, will soon replace the back and forth radio conversations between pilots and controllers. The new system sends text messages and computer file transfers about flight routes, air traffic and weather directly to the plane's cockpit.