London to New York in ONE HOUR: [etc]

dailymail ^ | 09:38 EST, 13 August 2012 | Mark Prigg

[BenLurkin]

It may look like a vehicle the Thunderbirds would travel in, but in fact this experimental aircraft could be the future of long haul flights. It uses a revolutionary 'scramjet' engine that allows it to travel at hypersonic speeds. Tomorrow, it will be dropped from a B52 bomber in its latest test.

The craft, called the X-51A Waverider, is currently being prepared at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert. Tomorrow, it will take part in a key test. Attached to a B-52 bomber's wing, it will be taken from Edwards to about 50,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean near Point Mugu.

there' it will be dropped and the engines fired. The entire mission will last just 300 seconds, but will be the longest the craft has ever flown for Hypersonic flight is seen as the next step for aircraft.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2187520/London-New-York-hour-Radical-new-aircraft-reach-Mach-6-set-tested.html#ixzz23RRhyBw7

[BenLurkin]

Maye this will be on display at the next Edwards AFB Air Show:

[cicero2k]

Considering the last test was a 10 second burn, this is a decent expansion. But it needs a solid rocket booster to get it to start up?

[SERKIT]

WaveRunner Ping!

Oh wait..

[dfwgator]

On that train, all graphite and glitter
Undersea by rail
90 minutes from New York to Paris
Well, by ‘76 we’ll be a-okay

[NativeSon]

What’s the carry-on limit ?

[lowbridge]

“London to New York in ONE HOUR”

Why?

[PapaBear3625]

But it needs a solid rocket booster to get it to start up?

Scramjets don't work at below the speed of sound. A rocket is the simplest way to get the prototype to its minimum operating speed.

[PapaBear3625]

From the Air Force’s viewpoint, a hypersonic cruise missile or reconnaissance drone would be very nice.

[DonkeyBonker]

So it is a bit faster than the SR-71 classified top speed.

[TheThirdRuffian]

“What’s the carry-on limit ?”

About 2 megatons.

[Wings-n-Wind]

I can't wait until the FAA & OSHA find a way to certify this beast for commercial travel....

Where is my cartoonist.....

STAFF.... STAFF....

STAFF!!!!!

[Wurlitzer]

Sorry, but unless someone who has done nothing for their entire life but suck on the government’s (aka taxpayer) teat can hop on board for FREE, Obama will never allow it.

Everything must be fair and equal don’t you know!

[Moltke]

Will the pre-flight TSA “fondling” be done at hypersonic speed as well?

[BenLurkin]

I have that record on 45 RPM vinyl.

[DoughtyOne]

Thanks so much BenLurkin. I’ve been following the development of the X-51a, and I appreciate you keeping us informed about it.

There are some great photos and graphics of the Waverider out there.

Here’s a link to some high definition examples...

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&cr=&safe=images&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&q=x-51a&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=uJQqULbJEIeUiQL16oH4DA&biw=1600&bih=833&sei=upQqULqbOcH7igLT_4CIDQ#q=x-51a&um=1&hl=en&lr=&tbm=isch&source=lnt&tbs=isz:l&sa=X&ei=u5QqUOqjAoLqiQLCnICQDA&ved=0CCgQpwUoAQ&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=82fc400d4bebfab9&biw=1600&bih=833

[DoughtyOne]

From 1959 through 1968 a decade-long research program employed the North American Aviation X-15 to explore hypersonic flight and technologies needed for space flight. The X-15's pioneering flights set records that still have not been broken four decades later, including a top speed of Mach 6.7 (4,520 mph) and a peak altitude of 354,200 feet (67 miles). While doing this it gathered engineering and scientific data needed to develop new families of aircraft and spacecraft, including the Space Shuttle.

http://www.sierrafoot.org/x-15/x-15.html

[DoughtyOne]

Oops...

http://www.sierrafoot.org/x-15/x-15.html