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spectacular wind tunnels

The interior and exterior of wind tunnels have unusual design requirements that often make them accidental architectural masterpieces.

Wind tunnels range from the miniature wooden box that the Wright brothers used, to the gigantic full scale tunnel at NASA Ames in Silicon Valley which drains the power supply for the entire Bay Area, and tests actual planes and space craft. Air speeds within them can reach tens of times the speed of sound, requiring super heated air as air expands out of storage tanks.

All in all, they are definitely objects to go ooh about.

(Ranked by user votes) Vote on and review the contenders below.

The full scale wind tunnel at NASA Ames is one of the seven modern wonders of the world. Forget Google server farm electricity requirements, rumor has it that when the fans on this are switched on, they have to warn the electricity providers for the whole of Silicon Valley. <p /><p />Shown here is a deployment test for the Mars Rover parachute.

NASA Ames full scale wind tunnel. more...

(votes: +54)

Here, the fan itself is the building, the overall look of the wind tunnel, from the exterior, is as if an enormous jet engine had fallen out of the sky.

Wind Tunnel National Research Council Ottawa. more...

(votes: +31)

The Langley hypersonic wind tunnels were designed for speeds of up to Mach 15, which required heated air to stop it liquefying.

Langley hypersonic wind tunnels. more...

(votes: +16)

A small-scale blended wing body prototype, dubbed the X-48B, at the full scale wind tunnel at NASAs research center at Langley Air Force Base, Va.

NASA Langley Wind Tunnel Interior. more...

(votes: +16)

Aside from aircraft designers, the car industry and particularly racecar designers also make use of wind tunnels, such as this facility operated by All American Racers.

AAR West Coast Aerodynamics facility. more...

(votes: +8)

$40 buys you a 30ft leap atop of 125mph fans at “iFLY Hollywood”, which is at Universal CityWalk next to the Universal Hollywood theme park.

Indoor translucent vertical wind tunnel. more...

(votes: +6)

This is a perfect example of what I meant by ‘accidental architectural masterpiece’. The tapered ribbing and deconstructionist like geometry are worthy of any building by Rem Koolhaas.

14×22 Subsonic Tunnel NASA Langley. more...

(votes: +6)

These are the gigantic fans that drive the full scale wind tunnel at NASA Ames. If you want to get a feel for how big they are, look at the railing around the top right fan. Those small sticks are people.

NASA 80×120ft Wind Tunnel Drive Fans. more...

(votes: +6)

The San Diego Low-Speed Wind Tunnel. more...

(votes: +4)

Designed and built at McCook Field, Ohio, in 1918. Using a 24-blade fan of 60 inches diameter, the tunnel developed a maximum air speed of 453 mph.

McCook Field Ohio Wind Tunnel. more...

(votes: +2)

The Wright brothers did not invent the wind tunnel, but as inventors of the first successful planes they pioneered this field of aircraft testing.

Wright Brothers Wind Tunnel. more...

(votes: +1)

Largest European Wind Tunnel. more...

(votes: 0)

The plane dosnt look like the Dreamliner, but that is what the caption says. The tunnel itself is pure Space 1999.

Boeing Dreamliner wind Tunnel Test. more...

(votes: -1)

An iconic version of the closed loop style tunnel.

University of Wichita Wind Tunnel. more...

(votes: -1)

Shown here is a cutaway view of the 16 ft. transonic tunnel, at Langley in the 50’s. After the link is a great article which discusses the engineering feats in the role of high speed aircraft..

The Transonic Wind Tunnel at Langley. more...

(votes: -2)

when the US military come out for a barbecue, they dont bring a kids bouncy castle, they bring this.

U S Army portable vertical wind tunnel. more...

(votes: -3)

Wind tunnels provide a simulation of air flow, this pilot tunnel provides a one 12th scale simulation of its larger cousin.

1:12 Pilot model of Wind Tunnel. more...

(votes: -3)

The TsAGI is Moscow’s Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute where there are a huge number of wind tunnels. Shown here is the exterior of the T-105 subsonic tunnel which tests the spinning of planes in free flight.

Russian vertical wind tunnel at TsAGI. more...

(votes: -4)