NASA AD-1
Wind-tunnel experiments and computer models can only take you so far. To really grasp all the variables of a jagged object cutting through the atmosphere at high speed, sometimes you just have to strap up and dive in. That’s where NASA’s AD-1 comes in. This clever plane has a wing that could be readjusted a full 360 degrees horizontally to take flight testing to a whole new level. The tough wing could even pivot up to 60 degrees during flight without suffering major instability. Not too shabby for a plan built in 1979.