Crossrail, VR training and earthquakes on Mars: top stories of the week

Rolls-Royce and Qatar Airways train with Virtual Reality

The Engineer

Aircraft engineers are to be trained using Virtual Reality technology, following a successful pilot project between Rolls-Royce and Qatar Airways.

Floating, blackened wood could bring cheap, drinkable water where needed 

Professional Engineering 

A simple wooden device could provide an alternative to expensive desalination, potentially helping bring safe drinking water to the roughly one billion people without access to it.

North America’s oil and gas pipeline boom could signal meltdown

E&T 

A new report finds that a crisis may loom over expanding US oil and gas infrastructure projects, as boom-fueled optimism runs into climate realities and fiscal limits.

Airlander 10 set for electric propulsion

The Engineer 

An all-electric version of the world’s largest aircraft, Airlander 10, could be a step closer as a result of a UK project.

Flight of world's biggest aeroplane 'brings airline-style satellite launches closer'

Professional Engineering

Satellite operators are closer to flexible, “airline-style” launches than ever before thanks to the first successful flight of the world’s largest aeroplane, the aircraft’s developer has said.

Here’s how Nasa detected a marsquake for the first time ever

Wired 

After two months of intense listening, Nasa's Mars InSight rover just detected the first rumblings of a quake 34 million miles away. But to do that, Nasa needed to build one of the most sensitive seismometers ever built.

Crossrail Ltd outlines plan to complete the Elizabeth Line

Rail Business Daily

A new plan to complete the outstanding works and bring the Elizabeth line into passenger service at the earliest possible date has been developed by the new Crossrail leadership team and agreed by the Crossrail Ltd Board.