Posted on: Nov. 11th, 2004 || www.wired.com
NASA will attempt to break the aircraft speed record next week by flying a jet plane at 7,000 mph, or nearly 10 times the speed of sound, say planners for the agency's experimental X-43A project.
The unmanned flight will mark the third time NASA has tested its new supersonic-combustion ramjet, or "scramjet," engine, which has no moving parts and emits only water as exhaust. The first test, in 2001, had to be aborted when the rocket that boosts the small X-43A aircraft to its flying height spun out of control over the Pacific Ocean. The second test, in March of this year, went more smoothly, with the plane reaching a record-breaking speed of 5,000 mph, or nearly seven times the speed of sound.
Read the full article
Related Factsheets/ Websites
X-43 Hyper-X Program: Factsheet || News Archive
Ramjets and Scramjets: Factsheet || News Archive
Air-Attack.com: X-43 Hyper-X program
Air-Attack.com: Ramjets and Scramjets technology
Ramjets and Scramjets: Factsheet || News Archive
Air-Attack.com: X-43 Hyper-X program
Air-Attack.com: Ramjets and Scramjets technology
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
Other Headlines
More news: News desk - News Archive