While you might think that this is really a bad picture

in point of fact, it is really a good picture. That’s because it shows the Boeing 787 Dreamliner—specifically the ZA003, the third 787 built--undergoing extreme weather tests.

The tests are being conducted at the McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base in Valparaiso, Florida. The special hanger in which the tests are being conducted allow the airframe to be exposed to cold temperatures of -45°F (which is what’s going on here) and then later to the other end of the thermometer, +115°F.

“We have Dreamliner customers”—and so far, 57 customers have ordered 866 787s, with delivery to begin in Q4 of 2010—“who will operate the 787 in a wide variety of environments throughout the world. This testing is about ensuring that the airplane meets the expectations of our customers,” said Scott Fancher, vp and general manager of the 787 program for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

Approximately 100 people accompanied the aircraft from Seattle to Valparaiso.

Clearly, Boeing product development takes it to the extremes.

Although you might think that this is some sort of modern sculpture or some hyper Lego set, it is actually the underside of the new Boeing X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle. This experimental vehicle is being developed with the potential of use by the U.S. Air Force for space exploration missions.

What you can see here are silica tiles that are said to be more durable than those used on the soon-to-be retired space shuttle. Like the space shuttle, the X-37B is a reusable spacecraft. Unlike the space shuttle, it is unmanned.

"The Orbital Test Vehicle combines the best of aircraft and spacecraft to enable flexible and responsive missions," said Paul Rusnock, Boeing vice president of Experimental Systems and program director for the X-37B. "This first flight will demonstrate the readiness of the X-37B to begin serving the Air Force as it continues to investigate ways to make space access more routine, affordable and responsive."

The vehicle in this shot is at the Astrotech launch processing facility, which is located near Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

While there is lots of understandable attention on the in-development Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the Next-Generation 737 (yes, that’s what the one’s being built right now are officially called) deserves a note of attention.

Although the Next-Gen planes have been built for the past 12 years, starting in 1997, it is worth noting that during this period of time the people in Renton, Washington, have manufactured and delivered 3,133 units.

What’s notable is that it took 32 years to produce that many of the previous-generation 737.

Employees have gotten to the point where they are able to produce a 737 in just 10 days, compared with the 22 days once required. They are manufacturing 31 aircraft a month.

The improvements in throughput are attributed to “relentless employee and supplier focus on efficiency.”

Speaking of efficiency, the 737s are said to be lighter, consume less fuel, release fewer emissions, and are more economical to operate and maintain—all good things, to put it mildly.

According to a Boeing statement: “Airplanes delivered between September 2008 and September 2009 had so few technical issues that passengers left the airport gate 99.8 percent of the time.”

Presumably that metric is based on the readiness of the aircraft, not of the various airlines and airports, which seem to have less in the way of high-reliability or timeliness ratings.