Posted on 05/11/2005 1:58:02 PM PDT by Paul Ross
NASA?s hypersonic program may have a chance of taking off again, despite a gloomy budget picture.
HAMPTON -- A high-speed aeronautics technology called hypersonics, once thought dead at NASA Langley Research Center after two record-breaking flights in recent years, may face a brighter future than expected.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailypress.com ...
Does anyone really think the SR71 is not around?
I believe that.
The SR-71 first flew in 1964, I have to believe that we have moved well beyond the capabilities of a 41 year old airplane.
Man, they need to attach a warhead to these bad boys. What missile defense, they won't even know what hit 'em!
What makes you think that haven't already? Why has this subject been so quiet for the last few years?
"Aeronautics supports lament the fact that NASA has no money slated for future hypersonic flights, even after Langley Research Center helped the agency achieve two record-setting missions in 2003 and 2004.
Adding to the gloom is the fact that hypersonics now falls under NASA's Vehicle Systems program, which takes a hard hit under President Bush's budget proposal.
But there is reason for optimism, according to Chuck McClinton, a Langley researcher and cheerleader for hypersonics. McClinton hopes to get new NASA administrator Michael Griffin's attention when Griffin visits Langley on Friday.
"Griffin is a breath of fresh air," said McClinton, pulling out transcripts of hypersonic-friendly quotes from the new administrator. NAS
A gave a knee-jerk reaction when President Bush announced last year that he wanted to send humans to the moon and Mars, an initiative that has played out in aeronautics cuts, McClinton said.
"NASA said we're going to shut everything else down and just do exploration," McClinton said. "I think Griffin is going to stir things up."
> Why has this subject been so quiet for the last few years?
Because scramjets are an expensive, difficult and unproven technology with few real applications.
How do you know, do you work on them? The only application that would need it is something that needs to go really fast.
Well, the engine is still advanced beyond years - they will never duplicate the J58, and the airframe is able to be improved. The way it operated hasn't been duplicated, at least that the public knows.
Expensive, maybe. But difficult and unproven? Nopers.
Bird thread.
See:
1. Aurora
2. Pumpkin Seed
3. Mother
4. Have Teal
5. Rialto
All deep black but great projects.
No doubt it's a great airplane.
I just believe that we have built something better, and more likely, that our satellite technology has taken over most or all of our "eyes in the sky" information gathering missions.
Thanks zencat, That Pratt & Whitney J58 picture is a keeper.
Yeah, if he can get Congress to cough up a larger NASA budget.
J58, set as computer wallpaper. :-)
Is that engine GLOWING ???
when one looks at the technology curve from mid fifties to mid sixties, one see's the curve go stright up. Good chance we got our imput of info from somewhere else and that all I will say.
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