Biojet flight makes Popular Science big events of 2012 list

The first ever 100 percent biojet-fueled flight has earned recognition from Popular Science magazine as one of “The Big Science Stories of 2012.” The flight, made possible through collaboration between Applied Research Associates, Chevron Lummus Global, the National Research Council of Canada, the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and Agrisoma Biosciences Inc., used a biobased fuel made from oilseed crop Brassica carinata, a member of the mustard seed family.

The fuel was tested against ASTM and military specs prior to the flight. A Falcon 20 jet performed the historic flight, followed by another aircraft for data collection purposes. The Popular Science piece is composed as an inforgraphic, and features a short description of the flight. Along with the biofuel flight, the magazine features 24 other science-related events worth noting, ranging from the release of the world’s first completely bionic leg to the spacecraft Voyager 1 reaching the outer limits of the solar system, a distance of roughly 11.4 billion miles from earth.

To view the infographic, or for more on the initial test flight.