Posted on 09/05/2009 11:13:54 AM PDT by Clint Williams
coondoggie writes
"The aspiration that jets may someday fly at over six times the speed of sound took a very real step toward reality recently, as the US Air Force said it successfully married the test aircraft, known as the X-51A WaveRider, to a B-52 in preparation for a Dec. 2 flight test. The X-51A flight tests are intended to demonstrate that the engines can achieve their desired speed without disintegrating. While the X-51 looks like a large rocket now, its applications could change the way aircraft or spaceships are designed, fly into space, support reconnaissance missions and handle long-distance flight operations. At the heart of the test is the aircraft's air-breathing hypersonic scramjet system."
Rough thumb calcs: Mach 6 is apx 3K MPH (4K True Airspeed but I’ll use the lower).
Cross the USA: 1 hour 15 minutes
Circumnavigate the globe at the equator: 8 hours
YMMV.
That is movin’ folks.
WTF is the difference between air speed and true air speed? Mach 6 is about 4,000 – 4,500 mph depending on the altitude. The speed of sound at sea level is about 760 mph, but it decreases with temperature. At 60,000 ft (where this thing will probably fly) the speed of sound in about 660 mph. That would put Mach 6 at 3,960 mph.
Thanks for the review. I was assigned at Edwards 1964-1968 and have forgotten some fundamental constants. I was there when Mike Adams was lost in an X-15. Mike was one of the brightest test pilots I have met.
new cruise missile...
imho . . .
from what my relative assured me . . .
we have craft that routinely go much, much faster than that
and have since AT LEAST 1970.
The german flying saucers don’t count.
Anybody know how many G’s this places on the pilot - just in straight, flat trajectory, let alone in turns and dives?
Just curious...
On what grounds?
Reportedly, the fleets we have are built, now, by us.
. . . the critters having instructed us finally . . . in how to do it.
‘sweet’ bunch of satanic bustards, aren’t they.
BTW, have you ever heard how many personnel are in the secret astronaut corps?
techno cool aero ping
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_airspeed
True airspeed is distinct from indicated airspeed.
Just one.... me.
Let’s see, it takes 17,000 MPH for a space craft(using the spin of the earth) to break free of the gravitational field of earth, I would say we already have craft that surpass the 6X speed and then some, of course if you are talking about every day use I hope those pilots have iron gonads.
LOL.
OK, so I'm only eyeballing that one without using the cackle-ator. Let 'em think we fly SOTP.
Most humans won't like even 3g's for anywhere near two hours' time. The better alternative, as was commonly known from SR-71 days, was just to go around the earth another time, with better planning next time.
HF
1G .... from Earth. Objects in motion don't have G forces unless they are accelerating or decelerating.
Aeronut Ping
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