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X-51 Waverider: Hypersonic jet ambitions fall short
bbc ^ | 15 August 2012 | Sharon Weinberger

Posted on 08/15/2012 11:23:51 AM PDT by BenLurkin

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To: BenLurkin

They (another team) pulled off the rocket hovering, cable lowering of the martian rover a few days ago. THAT was impressive.

This is much lower budget, with room for error. They are using that room.


21 posted on 08/15/2012 12:54:44 PM PDT by cicero2k
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To: vet7279

The difficult we do at once; the impossible takes a bit longer........

Lots of work going on with the supersonic/hyperspeed air breathing engines since the 60s, still not there yet


22 posted on 08/15/2012 12:55:49 PM PDT by wrench
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To: wrench

Agreed. But ponder this: Is there any other animal on earth that would climb into an aluminum tube and allow themselves to be hurled through the air at supersonic speed like this? And we are the smart ones?


23 posted on 08/15/2012 1:06:13 PM PDT by vet7279
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To: vet7279

the same “animal” has airconditioning and gets around on in a land vehicle which is powered by causing little explosions.

Horses could outrun the first cars too.


24 posted on 08/15/2012 1:14:23 PM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: MestaMachine
Contains at least 10% ethanol...

It's grrrrr ATE !

25 posted on 08/15/2012 1:24:03 PM PDT by knarf (I say things that are true ... I have no proof ... but they're true)
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To: BenLurkin
I keep thinking of the old "Spindrift" from "Land of the Giants" that took off in the (then) future year of 1983.

Spindrift in ballistic path
26 posted on 08/15/2012 1:41:49 PM PDT by Nowhere Man (June 28th, 2012, the Day America Jumped The Shark.)
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To: taildragger

Even if it is in a few hundred small pieces on the sea floor I expect that the Navy will expend a lot of resources recovering the X-51A. An opponent could learn a lot about hypersonic flight just by analyzing the materials used.


27 posted on 08/15/2012 2:07:47 PM PDT by Tallguy (It's all 'Fun and Games' until somebody loses an eye!)
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To: BenLurkin

Thanks. Nice break away...


28 posted on 08/15/2012 5:56:04 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (Nope 2012)
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To: BenLurkin

Will admit I find it a bit funny though, in that they don’t explain that air intake below, and what the captured compacted air is used for.

Instead they point to JP-7 fuel and the associated fuel systems.

I realize the thing has to get past a threshold, so the JP-7 is needed, but it’s what happens next that is the real excitement here.


29 posted on 08/15/2012 6:01:55 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (Nope 2012)
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To: Alex Murphy

Great movie...


30 posted on 08/15/2012 6:02:58 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (Nope 2012)
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To: Tallguy

Several days ago they said there were no plans for recovery.

Perhaps they expect the whole thing to burn up on re-entry. ;^)


31 posted on 08/15/2012 6:05:29 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (Nope 2012)
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To: BenLurkin

It all depends on how small the pieces of the person are.... but that was another news story.


32 posted on 08/16/2012 3:22:32 AM PDT by Pecos ("We hold these truths to be self-evident ..... ")
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