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Nasa plane to try Mach 7 flight
bbc ^ | Saturday, 27 March, 2004

Posted on 03/27/2004 10:56:22 AM PST by demlosers

The US space agency will attempt to fly its experimental hypersonic research aircraft, the X-43A, this Saturday.

The unpiloted 3.7m-long vehicle uses a scramjet to reach a design speed in excess of Mach 7, more than 8,000 km/h (5,000 mph).

Scramjets burn hydrogen but take their oxygen from the air which is forced into the engine at very high speed.

It is hoped this technology could one day dramatically reduce the length of long-haul passenger flights and make it much cheaper to launch space payloads.

Nasa will just want its latest experiment to complete its goals without incident. The first attempt to fly an X-43A ended in the destruction of the vehicle when its launch system failed. The new flight will take place over a naval range in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of southern California, at 2000 GMT.

A scramjet operates by the supersonic combustion of fuel in a stream of air compressed by the high forward speed of the aircraft, as opposed to a normal jet engine, in which fan blades compress the air.

But scramjets only start to work at about Mach 6, or six times the speed of sound. And this means they first have to be boosted to their operational velocity.

In the case of the X-43A, this will be done by a modified Pegasus rocket, which will be released from under the wing of a B-52 bomber.

If all goes well, the 1,300kg wedge-shaped research craft will separate from its booster and accelerate away with the power from its scramjet.

The engine should operate for just 10 seconds. The X-43A will then glide through the atmosphere conducting a series of aerodynamic manoeuvres for up to six minutes on its way to splashdown.

If successful, the test will mark the first time a non-rocket, air-breathing scramjet engine has powered a vehicle in flight at hypersonic speeds.

Engineering challenge

Scramjet technology was first proposed in the 1950s and 60s. Because they take their oxidant from the atmosphere, the weight of any aircraft is therefore substantially reduced.

Those weight savings could be used to increase payload capacity, increase range or reduce vehicle size for the same payload.

TOP SPEEDS

Concorde: 1350mph (2173km/h)
Japan's bullet train: Record: 277mph (446km/h);
scheduled service: 186mph (300km/h)
French TGV: World record (1990): 515.3km/h (320.3mph);
scheduled service: 259.4km/h (161.1mph)

The scramjet attraction is obvious. If the many engineering challenges can be overcome, this propulsion technology could make it possible to fly, for example, from London to Sydney in just a couple of hours.

More likely in the first instance, they will find applications in the space delivery business - launching small payloads, such as communications satellites, into orbit.

The first ever free flight of a scramjet was conducted by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) in 2001. Its engine was fired from a gun in an enclosed facility on the ground.

A year later, University of Queensland researchers flew their HyShot scramjet on a missile.



TOPICS: Extended News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: mach7; nasa; space; x43a
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To: demlosers
B-52 airborne about 5 minutes ago. Enroute to launch point.
21 posted on 03/27/2004 12:45:41 PM PST by BulletBobCo
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To: TomB
thanks, I check back later, good luck NASA.
22 posted on 03/27/2004 12:45:50 PM PST by jpsb (Nominated 1994 "Worst writer on the net")
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To: concentric circles
The Big Bird is lifting Tweetie to its test location.
23 posted on 03/27/2004 12:45:50 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi Mac ... Support Our Troops! ... Thrash the demRats in November!!! ... Beat BoXer!!!)
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Cool shot from underneath Big Bird showing the 2 attached crafts...
24 posted on 03/27/2004 12:49:34 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi Mac ... Support Our Troops! ... Thrash the demRats in November!!! ... Beat BoXer!!!)
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To: null and void
Here's another thread posted earlier if you want to follow both.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1105342/posts
25 posted on 03/27/2004 12:53:26 PM PST by BulletBobCo
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To: TomB
B52 launch plane is airborne -in transit to test area.

NASA TV is showing live images from chase planes. Haven't heard when the drop is going to happen yet.
26 posted on 03/27/2004 12:57:02 PM PST by Jambe
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To: Jambe
Just heard 10 minutes -
27 posted on 03/27/2004 12:57:48 PM PST by Jambe
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To: Jambe
Approaching the coastline now.
28 posted on 03/27/2004 1:02:08 PM PST by BulletBobCo
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To: BulletBobCo
Bob, where along the coast are they?
29 posted on 03/27/2004 1:04:44 PM PST by WestCoastGal ("Hire paranoids, they may have a high false alarm rate, but they discover all the plots" Rumsfeld)
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To: WestCoastGal
Not sure. Just saw the hazy coastline via Fox. Wouldn't be surprised if it was near Santa Barbara.
30 posted on 03/27/2004 1:08:09 PM PST by BulletBobCo
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To: BulletBobCo
anyone else see on fo the rocket launch about 4 min ago....must have been tape. It showed the rocket breaking up after about 30 seconds.....wierd. The commentater even mentioned it.....???????????
31 posted on 03/27/2004 1:10:46 PM PST by glasseye
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To: glasseye
Windows media live feed.

http://www.nasa.gov/55644main_NASATV_Windows.asx


32 posted on 03/27/2004 1:15:31 PM PST by BulletBobCo
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To: glasseye
That was from the 1st test not this one!
33 posted on 03/27/2004 1:15:43 PM PST by Colonel Jim (It was the frogs fault)
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To: BykrBayb
Who in their right mind would volunteer to be a passenger on anything that goes Mach 7?!!!

I'd volunteer in a heartbeat, given the opportunity.

People made similar objections about supersonic flight, too.

34 posted on 03/27/2004 1:28:05 PM PST by justlurking
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To: BulletBobCo
i linked to this im having a blast cockpit com awesome im loving it
35 posted on 03/27/2004 1:52:07 PM PST by al baby (Hope I don't get into trouble for this)
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To: al baby
2 minutes.....
36 posted on 03/27/2004 1:58:42 PM PST by TomB (I voted for Kerry before I voted against him.)
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To: Jambe
Time under 2 minutes...
37 posted on 03/27/2004 1:59:15 PM PST by demlosers (Coulter: Liberals simply can't grasp the problem Lexis-Nexis poses to their incessant lying.)
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To: demlosers
Looks like things are working....

On Fox now!

38 posted on 03/27/2004 2:02:50 PM PST by TomB (I voted for Kerry before I voted against him.)
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To: demlosers
Just watched the launch on Fox. Cool.
39 posted on 03/27/2004 2:03:26 PM PST by samtheman
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To: TomB
SUCCESS!!!
40 posted on 03/27/2004 2:03:30 PM PST by TomB (I voted for Kerry before I voted against him.)
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