We’ve all heard the phrase, “pushing the envelope,” or, more completely, “pushing the edge of the envelope,” but knowledge of its origin is less common. This metaphor refers to extending the current limits of performance, to innovate, or go beyond commonly accepted boundaries. The phrase goes back to engineering references of a mathematical envelope or “flight envelope.” The term entered the mainstream shortly after Tom Wolfe’s book, The Right Stuff, in 1979. The book highlights aviation pilots engaged in U.S. postwar research with experimental, rocket-powered, high-speed aircraft. Even earlier, the Journal of the Royal Aeronautical Society had been using the term “flight envelopes” for aviation and aeronautics since 1944. Shortly before Wolfe adopted the term, Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine referenced how NASA pilots were pushing the flight envelope to 10,000 feet.
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Source: IT Strategy