9781422282984

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Introduction

were soaring above their heads. Would the bombers’ cloak of invisibility last? No one knew. The B-2s prepared for the bomb run as they inched closer to their targets. Sneaky Engineering TheB-2swere amarvel of science.Engineers shaped theB-2 body to scatter radar signals.Radar sends out beams of electromagnetic waves called microwaves.When those waves hit an aircraft, they bounce back to the radar. A radar operator can then tell where the plane is and how fast it is moving. Without any sharp edges or angles, radar signals should have skipped off the B-2 like a stone on water. The plane’s builders also coated the bomber with a special material to ab- sorb the microwaves. Scientists also had to find a way to eliminate the heat and noise from the airplane’s engines and to mask the gases from its exhaust system. Unlike other bombers, nothing hung from the B‑2 fuselage . No guns. No bombs. No weapons. From Dippin’ Dots to GPS Some of the products we use today were developed by scientists during wartime. For example, Dippin’ Dots is freeze-dried ice cream. The pro- cess used to make the tasty treats was developed during World War II (1939–45) as a way to preserve medical supplies.

Moreover, GPS systems, which use satellites to pinpoint location and get people where they are going, were invented by the U.S. military during the 1990s and later adapted for civilian use.

All was going according to plan as the planesmade theirway toYugoslavia.The Stealthbombers secretly cut through the sky as the enemy remained unaware.