FEATURE

One hundred years from now, a family makes vacation plans and takes the kids someplace they’ve never been before — Earth.

The travellers lock up their residence on their orbiting space colony, built by Boeing, and climb aboard a hypersonic commercial airplane, also produced by Boeing, and fly off to see what those colorful oceans and sprawling continents below look like up close. Sounds too far-fetched? Not to Brian Tillotson. He can see it happening. He’s the systems technology chief engineer for Boeing Research & Technology and a Senior Technical Fellow in Seattle, who dabbles on the side as a science-fiction writer. He specialises in space travel and robotics in his job. He’s someone with subject-matter knowledge and a vivid imagination.

Coinciding with Boeing’s centennial celebration, Tillotson and several of his Boeing Technical Fellowship colleagues were asked to ponder the future, to envision possible advancements in their fields of expertise — some 20, 50 or even 100 years out.

Collectively, they’ve come up with a world filled with airplanes that cross the oceans in a couple of hours; rotorcraft that replace the personal vehicle and commuter airplanes; interchangeable advertising on jet exteriors; airliners created entirely by 3-D printers; lasers used on unmanned aircraft for missile defense; an almost telepathic exchange of information; and a far greater robotic presence in the workplace. And, of course, planet Earth as a destination rather than a starting point.

“I can actually see that as a very plausible future — that Earth will be a highly desired vacation spot,” Tillotson said.

It’s a vision based on hu-