Impossible Engineering Show Summary, Upcoming Episodes and TV Guide

A cutting-edge engineering marvel, the Falkirk Wheel in central Scotland, can lift boats and water to astonishing heights. Its advanced design makes it the first and only rotating boat lift of its kind. Behind-the-scenes access shows how it works. It reconnects the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal for the first time since the 1930s, opening in 2002 as part of the Millennium Link project. 

Engineers in China are constructing the largest and most ambitious water transfer project in human history, defying nature to move vast quantities of water from the south to the dry north in Beijing, all without the use of pumping stations. This is China's South to North Water Diversion Project.
 

The world's largest semi-submersible heavy-lift ship, the BOKA Vanguard, can carry entire cruise ships halfway across the globe without stopping, and to do this, experts use cutting-edge maritime engineering and the latest science for herculean strength and first-class maneuverability.

Engineers in Seattle, Washington, are building the world's first floating railway bridge using one of the Interstate 90 floating bridges over Lake Washington. To tackle this complex engineering challenge, they use new, innovative construction technology that enables high-speed trains to go where they've never gone before.

Deadly avalanches and catastrophic flooding are ever-present threats at Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, one of the world's busiest ski resorts. New technology and cutting-edge construction methods help engineers conquer the elements to keep this mountain-top getaway safe.

A state-of-the-art NATO airplane, the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), is one of the most complex surveillance tools in the world, and special access inside this behemoth reveals how cutting-edge engineering and a hi-tech midair refueling system helps its crew defend against security threats.

The skinniest skyscraper in the world will soon become New York's third tallest, and using an innovative, gravity-defying design, this colossal megastructure is breaking all the rules of engineering. 111 West 57th Street, or the Steinway Tower, is an 84-story, 1,428-foot (435-meter) supertall residential project. 
 

A team of engineers is overhauling London's underground infrastructure to build a world-class super-sewer system, the Thames Tideway Tunnel. Using cutting-edge tech and the latest construction methods, they work to transform a centuries-old network into a modern-day masterpiece. 

Engineers at Virgin are building the world's first hyperloop train system, an innovative high-speed technology that uses magnetic levitation to travel over 600 miles per hour and transform transportation as we know it.

Experts use cutting-edge tech and bold engineering to build a record-breaking bridge that spans a deadly chasm in a remote section of the Himalayas. When completed, it will be the world's tallest railway bridge, towering almost 1,200 feet high.

The first railroads in the United States were engineering marvels built to conquer America's deadliest places. Using cutting-edge science, engineers and builders changed the nation by connecting the California frontier with the rest of the country.

The Black Pearl is one of the largest and fastest sailing yachts in the world, and using cutting-edge innovations in shipbuilding and engineering, its crew puts this brand-new $200 million vessel through the gauntlet to test its unique capabilities.

An ambitious team of engineers is building the Aussie Invader 5R, the world's fastest car, and using cutting-edge rocket technology, this record-breaking vehicle will be able to accelerate from zero to 1,000 mph in just 20 seconds to break the Land Speed Record.

One of the most cutting-edge buildings in the world is a 16-story hotel, the InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland, built on the cliffs of an abandoned quarry in China, and using the latest science and tech, engineers race to build this innovative mega-structure with two underwater floors.

To build the world's biggest offshore wind farm, the London Array, engineers and builders braved the deadly waters of the North Sea. Using the latest science and tech, these innovators constructed 175 towering turbines that can withstand the most hellish conditions.

New York City's biggest construction project ever features several brand-new buildings in Manhattan's Hudson Yards, where an army of ambitious engineers and builders are tasked with developing seven city blocks over 24-hour subway trains.

The world's most incredible trains conquer dangerous oceans and seas thanks to expert engineering and cutting-edge technology. Includes 5 villages along the Mediterranean Sea that connects 5 remote villages and runs through 51 tunnels to protect the line.

The world's most incredible trains cross deadly canyons and chasms of terrifying heights thanks to expert engineering and cutting-edge technology.

The world's fastest trains, built with expert engineering and cutting-edge technology, push the speed of railroad travel to new limits.

The Perdido Oil Platform was the world's deepest production and drilling facility when production started in March 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico (second deepest now). It's one of the most advanced feats in modern engineering, producing 100,000 barrels of oil and 200 million cubic feet of gas each day. As a production hub for three fields, it's the first to separate oil and gas on the seafloor. This structure is as tall as the Eiffel tower and floats in some of the deepest waters in the world currently functioning in 7,800 feet of water. The three-deck topside sits atop the world's largest spar moored by nine two-mile long tethers to the seafloor. Cost to build: $3 billion.

The Airlander 10, the world's largest aircraft, combines the latest in technology and engineering to dwarf everything else in the skies at 300 feet long by 140 feet wide. This marvel can stay airborne for five days crewed or up to three weeks unmanned and land anywhere in the world, whether on land or at sea. It's a hybrid aircraft with the best features of normal aircraft, helicopters, and, of course, airships. With no internal structure, the Airlander maintains its shape due to the pressure stabilization of the helium (1.34 million cubic feet) inside the hull, and the smart and strong Vectran material of which it's made. With a payload capacity up to 11 tons, it can cruise up to 100 miles per hour. On 17 August 2016, the first test flight took place at the aircraft's home base, Cardington Airfield in Bedfordshire, England, and lasted 30 minutes.

The U.S. Navy is the largest sea force on the planet and their new, ground-breaking Littoral Combat Ships are the fastest combat ships in its fleet. Built for speed, these innovative warships can travel at over 40 knots per hour in shallow water (14 feet). The monohull Freedom class and the trimaran Independence class are the first two LCS variants.

Discover what it took to build the world's tallest freestanding tower, the Tokyo Skytree. Completed in 2012, this record-breaking marvel faces some of the most deadly disasters on the planet and must brave earthquakes and extremely high winds. With its broadcast antenna, it stands 2080 feet high and transmits 62 miles.

Enter a state-of-the-art research base located in Antarctica, the coldest continent on Earth. The relocatable Halley VI Research Station is segmented into eight modules, each built atop giant ski-fitted, hydraulic legs, and is located on the floating Brunt Ice Shelf. Operational in 2012, this innovative design helps scientists of the British Antarctic Survey brave the extreme environment.

The Panama Canal Expansion Project was one of the biggest infrastructure projects in the world. It doubled the capacity of the canal adding a new lane of traffic with a third set of locks. It cost over $5 billion moving millions of cubic tons of earth and rock to ultimately accommodate the biggest ships in the world. Commercial operation began of June 26, 2016.

The Shard, a 73-story glass skyscraper in London, is an engineering marvel. 11,000 exterior glass panels form this mega tower's façade. Its colossal concrete core supports luxury apartments, a hotel, and nearly 600,000 square feet of office space.

Go inside the largest cruise ship on the planet: MS Harmony of the Seas is an Oasis-class cruise ship; a massive ship that's 1,181 feet long and a staggering 227,000 tons.

China's Three Gorges Dam is the largest and heaviest concrete structure on earth, and it produces more power than any hydroelectric dam ever built. Discover how engineers reshaped a river to accomplish this incredible engineering feat.

How did engineers build the tallest bridge on the planet? As tall as a skyscraper, the Millau Viaduct in southern France braves deadly wind speeds over an immense abyss, and we go inside the story behind this modern wonder.

The Shanghai Magleve is the fastest passenger train in operation in the world; uncover how engineers are able to design a train that could levitate, and reach a remarkable top speed of 268 mph.

Soaring over 2,000 feet into the sky, the Shanghai Tower is the second tallest building in the world and a futuristic engineering marvel. Discover how cutting-edge technology means that the building's occupants will never feel it sway.

Explore how engineers conquered the deep water and hurricane force winds of the Gulf of Corinth in Greece to build the Rion-Antirion Bridge, a structure that must hold up in one of the most active earthquake zones on our planet. When completed in May 2004, it was the world's longest multi-span, cable-stayed bridge with a continuous fully suspended deck.