Colossal Machines

©National Geographic
Colossal Machines

Synopsis

Massive machines require engineering extremes.

Episodes

Season 1
  • Astronomical Engineering

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    Unlocking the secrets of the cosmos requires amazing machines, and what’s under the hood of these technical wonders is nothing short of rocket science.

  • Sea Monsters

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    How do you move an aircraft carrier? How does an oil rig withstand hurricane winds? When the Ohio class submarine reaches the bottom of the ocean, how does it stay intact and silent? Discover the engineering secrets of massive machines that help us explore our oceans.

  • There Be Dragons

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    The C5 Galaxy, or ‘Screaming Giant,’ airlifts huge loads. The Airbus Tanker Craft safely refuels two fighter jets midair. The Airlander 10 zeppelin is a marriage of new composites and tech that could be the future of flight.

  • Sub-Zero Supermachines

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    Ice breakers provide a lifeline in places aircraft can’t easily reach. Secret ingredients go into a snow plough so trains don’t derail in icy regions. An all-terrain vehicle moves through snow where others would sink.

  • Earth Biters

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    They are massive digging toys on a scale nearly impossible to visualize. A dragline excavator; a colossal machine the size of building that ‘walks’ between job sites; a new generation of climate friendlier mining monsters.

  • Mammoth Manufacturing

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    The world’s largest 3D printer prints a full vehicle. A tunnel boring machine is used to build an underground highway. Engineers design a machine that creates single-piece metal parts.