NASA Launches Unmanned Hypersonic Jet

AP News ^ | November 16, 2004 | AP

[RadioAstronomer]

Mach 9; Shmock 9. What did the stewardesses look like?

Teeny tiny! :-) LOL!

[GalaxieFiveHundred]

How 'bout one of these babies parked in your garage!

[Aeronaut]

[Wolfstar]

"These developments will also help us advance the Vision for Space Exploration, while helping to advance commercial aviation technology," Administrator O'Keefe said.

When the history of the Bush 43 presidency is written, this will be yet another superlative legacy of his.

[Lexinom]

Yeah. It's about the size of the B52's landing gear.

[Dont_Tread_On_Me_888]

I am not sure this is true.

Russia has been screwing around with scramjet technology.

They have used the scramjet on a TOPOL (SS-25). Although this is a missile, the stubby wings of the X-43 versus the SS-25 is not a big difference.

If they are saying the X-43 is an aircraft and they do not count the TOPOL/scramjet as an aircraft, they might be technically correct.

But the fact is that Russia may actually hold the record for scramjet speed.

[mylife]

I think this is the technology that will allow us to deliver payloads of nastiness 1/3 the way around the globe on two hours' notice; and upgrade anti-missile defenses.

Yup lots of potential here!

[sam_paine]

These developments will also help us advance the Vision for Space Exploration,

Yup. Pushing the envelope of the "Vision Thing" by a craft with no windows, no less!

[sam_paine]

Anybody got stats on how far down-range it went?

[mission9]

Hasn't Aurora been exceeding this for years previous? Isn't NASA in the Area 51 loop? Will NASA license this engine to Burt Rutan?

[sam_paine]

Mach 10 Flight is Next

The last X-43A vehicle has additional thermal protection for the Mach 10 flight, since it will experience heating roughly twice that of the Mach 7 vehicle. Reinforced carbon-carbon composite material has been added to the leading edges of the vehicle's vertical fins to handle the higher temperatures. For the Mach 10 flight, which equates to approximately 7,000 mph, the booster rocket will launch the X-43A to 110,000 feet before it separates and the X-43A operates its scramjet. The research vehicle will travel about 850 miles before splashing into the ocean. As with the previous X-43A vehicles, it will not be recovered.

2001 Flight and Investigation

The first X-43A flight attempt was in June 2001. Unfortunately, the booster failed and had to be destroyed early in flight. As a result, the research vehicle was not tested because it never reached test conditions. Although no single contributing factor was found, the root cause of the problem was identified as the booster's flight control system. The booster failed due to inaccurate design models that overestimated the capability of the flight control system to operate within predicted flight conditions.

[Ichneumon]

You can't read, can you?

Psst... It was a joke.

[petercooper]

[LibLieSlayer]

Besides the obvious scientific uses for this machine...

Picture if you will, say several thousand pounds of some really nasty stuff packed into the nose of that puppy... launched unmanned from Vandenberg, and flying at 15,000 miles per hour... and it is programmed by satellite to lay da "smackdown" on bin laden! Nose camera delivers "realtime" video evidence.

Money damn well spent!

LLS

[maestro]

But the fact is that Russia may actually hold the record for scramjet speed.

?......is this just really another Russian piece of work?

[maestro]

The craft was designed to sink and will not be recovered.

Sure,.....

[Issaquahking]

I can go along with that...with it's own battle music!

[Viking2002]

Bet it wouldn't surprise you to know that I'm a big Zep fan from way back, would it? :-)

[Rebelbase]

"The craft was designed to sink and will not be recovered. "

OOPS!

[KevinDavis]