---
title: Blast From the Past—and Into the Future
date: 2023-09-28T05:30:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/blast-from-the-past-and-into-the-future"
section: Articles
---
# Blast From the Past—and Into the Future

*September 28, 2023* — by [Maggie Haslam](/author/maggie-haslam)


> 75 Years After Its Groundbreaking, Revived UMD Wind Tunnel Revs Up

*Martin Wind Tunnel 08142019 0323 fixed SC 1920x1080 — Over its 75-year-history, the Glenn L. Martin Wind Tunnel has tested hundreds of innovations, from the Ford Taurus to Under Armour Olympic gear; it's also a popular destination for meteorologists and reporters at the start of each hurricane season.*

When the U.S. bobsled team was preparing to blow away the competition at the 2002 Winter Olympics, it bypassed the icy chutes of Lake Placid, N.Y., for an unassuming brick building in College Park, Md.


*large wind tunnel propeller*



*black and white photo of chinook helicopter*



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**1970s  
Ford’s revolutionary cars (and one family truckster):** The 1973 gas crisis kicked the automotive race for a fuel-efficient car into high gear and sent Ford Motors to the wind tunnel for the development of cutting-edge, aerodynamic designs: among them, the ’86 Taurus (which included a family vacation-friendly wagon version).



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*black bird*



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**1985  
Sailboats:** The wind tunnel was instrumental in the development of a keel design to help the U.S. reclaim the America’s Cup from Australia in 1987, research that continued until the early 2000s.



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**1988  
Blow-dried:** In a tradition born from one TV reporter’s publicity stunt, meteorologists prepping for hurricane season are now invited to practice standing through 70 mph blasts each July.



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*A group of people smile and spread their arms, including a kid being held, in a wind tunnel*



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**2000s  
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s...:** a government-funded development of a human flight suit, complete with a 50-pound, twin-engine jet pack.



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**2012  
Speed skating gear:** Under Armour brings in its revolutionary speedskating uniforms for the U.S. Olympic team, where an aerodynamic seam could literally edge out the competition.



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*drone with four propellers flying*



**Sidebar note:**

This story is featured in the Fall 2023 issue of *Terp* magazine. Find all the stories online at [terp.umd.edu](https://terp.umd.edu/).





**Topics:** [Research](https://today.umd.edu/tags/research)


**Tags:** [Aerospace Engineering](https://today.umd.edu/topic/aerospace-engineering), [Research](https://today.umd.edu/topic/research)


**Units:** [A. James Clark School of Engineering](https://today.umd.edu/topic/james-clark-school-engineering)