Kevin checks his watch. School starts in an hour and he is still 2,000 milesA unit of distance. One mile is roughly 1.6 kilometres. away: unless the shuttle arrives soon he will be in big trouble. Suddenly it glides to a stop in front of him. Fifty minutes later he is in the classroom.

Not everyone's journey to school in 2030 will be as dramatic as Kevin's. But new advances in science mean it could be possible.

A Texas company, Venus Aerospace, is working on a hypersonicTravelling at speeds of more than five times the speed of sound (Mach 5). jet called the Stargazer. If it works, you might be able to fly from London to New York in less than an hour, down from seven.

The Stargazer is designed to reach 3,600 mph, or six times the speed of sound. It will fly 110,000 feet high - so high that the passengers will be able to see the round shape of the Earth.

But the Stargazer will cost up to £26m - and will only have room for 12 people.

Another problem is noise. The aircraft will create a huge sonic boomA loud explosive sound caused by shockwaves created when an object travels faster than the speed of sound. . This is annoying for people on the ground and can damage buildings.

Meanwhile, NasaThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration, responsible for the US space programme. has been working on an aircraft called the X-59. According to test pilotA small-scale trial to find out whether a treatment works outside of the laboratory. Jim Less, it will "turn loud supersonic booms into quiet supersonic bumps".

Rail travel could soon run at super speeds too. Hyperloop trains may be able to send pods at very high speeds through a sealed tube. A journey from LondonThe capital city of the United Kingdom. It has a total population of 14 million. to ScotlandA country that is part of the United Kingdom. It covers the northern part of the island of Great Britain. should take just 45 minutes.

Is superfast really better?

Yes! We spend large amounts of time travelling to and from different places. A superfast system would mean we would waste less time.

No! We already do things too quickly. What we really need to do is slow down and really take notice of the world around us. We need to care for our planet.

Miles - A unit of distance. One mile is roughly 1.6 kilometres.

Hypersonic - Travelling at speeds of more than five times the speed of sound (Mach 5).

Sonic boom - A loud explosive sound caused by shockwaves created when an object travels faster than the speed of sound.

Nasa - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, responsible for the US space programme.

Pilot - A small-scale trial to find out whether a treatment works outside of the laboratory.

London - The capital city of the United Kingdom. It has a total population of 14 million.

Scotland - A country that is part of the United Kingdom. It covers the northern part of the island of Great Britain.