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Epochal Historian
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,65738,00.html?tw=wn_story_top5
By Amit Asaravala
05:05 PM Nov. 16, 2004 PT
NASA engineers shattered the aircraft speed record on Tuesday by flying their unmanned X-43A jet off the coast of California at nearly 6,600 miles per hour.
The historic flight began at about 2:36 p.m. and lasted a mere 10 seconds, when mission controllers shut off the X-43A's experimental "scramjet" engine and allowed the aircraft to glide down to its grave in the Pacific Ocean as planned. Early data from the flight showed that the aircraft reached a top velocity of Mach 9.6, or 9.6 times the speed of sound. NASA officials immediately called the experiment a success and said it proved the capabilities of the scramjet engine, which has no moving parts and emits only water as exhaust.
"It was an absolutely tremendous experience," said X-43A engineer Griffin Corpening. "The research vehicle was absolutely rock-solid stable. All indications now (show that) we had a successful experiment."
NASA engineers will now analyze the data gathered during the flight to learn as much as possible about the aerodynamics of the aircraft and the performance of the scramjet engine at such high speeds.
A scramjet works by channeling oxygen from the air through a progressively narrow slot until it is compressed enough to be mixed with hydrogen fuel. Burning the two creates a force that pushes the plane forward. The resulting exhaust is simply the product of two hydrogen molecules and one oxygen molecule -- or water.
The design was first proven to work in 2002, when a team at the University of Queensland in Australia flew its HyShot aircraft at just under 5,000 mph for a few seconds.
If the design could be made stable enough for longer flights, engineers believe the aerospace and defense industries might one day use it to build cheaper rockets and faster missiles.
It could also be used to power commercial airplanes, allowing them to travel from New York to San Francisco in minutes rather than hours. But busy travelers shouldn't expect that to happen anytime soon, cautions X-43A project manager Joel Sitz.
"We're just going to have to wait a while," said Sitz. "Fifty to 100 years -- who knows? But definitely, there are commercial applications."
NASA's involvement with such projects might be limited, however. The space agency is phasing out its hypersonic engine program to free up funding for President Bush's "Vision for Space Exploration," which calls on NASA to focus on sending humans to the moon and Mars. Tuesday's record-breaking test was the final flight in the $230 million program.
By Amit Asaravala
05:05 PM Nov. 16, 2004 PT
NASA engineers shattered the aircraft speed record on Tuesday by flying their unmanned X-43A jet off the coast of California at nearly 6,600 miles per hour.
The historic flight began at about 2:36 p.m. and lasted a mere 10 seconds, when mission controllers shut off the X-43A's experimental "scramjet" engine and allowed the aircraft to glide down to its grave in the Pacific Ocean as planned. Early data from the flight showed that the aircraft reached a top velocity of Mach 9.6, or 9.6 times the speed of sound. NASA officials immediately called the experiment a success and said it proved the capabilities of the scramjet engine, which has no moving parts and emits only water as exhaust.
"It was an absolutely tremendous experience," said X-43A engineer Griffin Corpening. "The research vehicle was absolutely rock-solid stable. All indications now (show that) we had a successful experiment."
NASA engineers will now analyze the data gathered during the flight to learn as much as possible about the aerodynamics of the aircraft and the performance of the scramjet engine at such high speeds.
A scramjet works by channeling oxygen from the air through a progressively narrow slot until it is compressed enough to be mixed with hydrogen fuel. Burning the two creates a force that pushes the plane forward. The resulting exhaust is simply the product of two hydrogen molecules and one oxygen molecule -- or water.
The design was first proven to work in 2002, when a team at the University of Queensland in Australia flew its HyShot aircraft at just under 5,000 mph for a few seconds.
If the design could be made stable enough for longer flights, engineers believe the aerospace and defense industries might one day use it to build cheaper rockets and faster missiles.
It could also be used to power commercial airplanes, allowing them to travel from New York to San Francisco in minutes rather than hours. But busy travelers shouldn't expect that to happen anytime soon, cautions X-43A project manager Joel Sitz.
"We're just going to have to wait a while," said Sitz. "Fifty to 100 years -- who knows? But definitely, there are commercial applications."
NASA's involvement with such projects might be limited, however. The space agency is phasing out its hypersonic engine program to free up funding for President Bush's "Vision for Space Exploration," which calls on NASA to focus on sending humans to the moon and Mars. Tuesday's record-breaking test was the final flight in the $230 million program.