5K jet makes testflight

[sal]

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/H/HYPERSONIC_JET?SITE=TXBR&SECTION=HOME

<SNIP>

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Three years after its first test flight ended in an explosion, NASA on Saturday successfully launched an experimental jet designed to reach speeds approaching 5,000 mph.

The unpiloted X-43A made a 10-second powered flight, then went through some twists and turns during a six-minute glide before plunging into the Pacific Ocean about 400 miles off the California coast.

<SNIP>

Is this the thing that has been making all the racket in the desert states the last few years?

[Florida_Geek]

1. Link is bad

:(

[icymist]

17. Here's a link to a story about the same jet.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001889817_jet28.html

We get good coverage of this craft since Boeing had a hand in it.

[ewagner]

2. SCRAM Jet?

I watch a documentary on Discovery Wings Channel the other night about the X-15 Project. Interestingly enough, the SCRAM jet engine was being tested on the X-15s in the last stages of the project. That was waaaaayyyyy back in 69, and '70.

Also, there was some recent ('98, '99) testing of the SCRAM jet on the SR71 out at Dryden.

So what makes this so different? An why are we just getting around to doing things that we already did in '69?

Discussion?

[mr_hat]

4. Scram jet, correct. Although the propulsion technolgy >

was ripe many years ago, the structural tech lagged. Convergence at last.

[DemoTex]

3. Mach 7+

I've been Mach 2.1 and I thought that was fast!

[ewagner]

5. What were you flying?

The only thing the Air Force even let me ride in was a KC135. Greasy, noisy, but reliable as hell!

[mike1963]

6. Is that different from the very old 'ramjet' technology?

That was old stuff when I was in Aero Eng at Tulsa U back in 63...
??

[megatherium]

11. It's a ramjet that operates at hypersonic velocities.

No moving parts. So they launched a 12" surfboard like craft that flew under its own power for just 11 seconds before falling into the Pacific. (They aren't going to bother retrieving it, not worth the expense.)

This is claimed to be novel in that no scramjet has ever flown under its own power before. It is an old idea, dating to the 50s I gather. But the engineering challenges are difficult: it cannot be wind-tunnel tested, and numerical (computer) simulations are really really hard to do. They design the vehicle to take advantage of the shock waves it produces to help compress the air and fuel.

However, there are persistent rumors that hypersonic vehicles have already been flown, and even deployed as operational vehicles, by the military. Something has been seen on the west coast that makes a strange "donuts on a rope" contrail. Hunt about a bit on Google looking for "project aurora". (The military claims "project aurora" was what eventually was revealed to be the B2 stealth bomber.) It may be that someone at Groom Lake is grinning at today's news.

There is an interesting precedent for a really cool military technology that came to light only after a civilian equivalent was produced. Astronomers came up with a lovely idea for making telescopes that can see through the shimmer of the earth's atmosphere, but which only works on targets near bright stars. (It involves a computer controlled flexible mirror that changes shape a hundred times a second.) Anyway, the military had, and solved, the same problem for spy telescopes. Their trick, which they shared with the astronomers, is to use a laser to produce an artificial star on the top layers of the atmosphere. The payoff is ground-based telescopes -- now coming on line -- that will outperform Hubble in resolution and light-collecting ability.

[megatherium]

16. typo

that's 12 feet not inches.

[Florida_Geek]

7. You smell like at Sled Driver

:)

[punpirate]

8. Mach 2.1 is a bit slow for a sled.... n/t

[Florida_Geek]

10. OK he is an OLD Sled Driver and afraid of

going really really fast..... :evilgrin::evilgrin::evilgrin::evilgrin::evilgrin::evilgrin::evilgrin::evilgrin:

Two of my favorite SR71 stories

SR-71 "TRUE" STORIES
Excerpted from "Sled Driver," by SR-71/Blackbird pilot Brian Shul

I'll always remember a certain radio exchange that occurred one day as Walt
(my backseater) and I were screaming across Southern California 13 miles
high. We were monitoring various radio transmissions from other aircraft as
we entered Los Angeles airspace.

Though they didn't really control us, they did monitor our movement across
their scope. I heard a Cessna ask for a readout of its groundspeed. "90
knots" Center replied.

Moments later, a Twin Beech required the same. "120 knots," Center answered.

We weren't the only ones proud of our groundspeed that day... as almost
instantly an F-18 smugly transmitted, "Ah, Center, Dusty 52 requests
groundspeed readout."

There was a slight pause, then the response, "525 knots on the ground,
Dusty".

Another silent pause. As I was thinking to myself how ripe a situation this
was, I heard a familiar click of a radio transmission coming from my
backseater. It was at that precise moment I realized Walt and I had become a
real crew, for we were both thinking in unison.

"Center, Aspen 20, you got a groundspeed readout for us?" There was a longer
than normal pause...

"Aspen, I show 1,742 knots"

No further inquiries were heard on that frequency.

************************************************************************

In another famous SR-71 story, Los Angeles Center reported receiving a
request for clearance to FL 600 (60,000ft).

The incredulous controller, with some disdain in his voice, asked, "How do
you plan to get up to FL 600?"

The pilot (obviously a sled driver), responded, "We don't plan to go up to
it, we plan to go down to it."

He was cleared

[NickB79]

9. So did it hit 5000 mph?

Or did it fail like the one before it 3 yrs ago?

[moondust]

12. Remind me why we need this.

Because we can?

[Itchinjim]

13. Why?

Because it's BITCHIN'!

[Cat Atomic]

14. Because if we don't spend all our money on worthless

weapons, we might actually have money left for things like education and healthcare.

[Almost_there]

15. Transatlantic / pacific and east coast / west coast travel...

At least that's the long term plan. The theory I read a while ago is to use a scram jet on commercial airliners. Essentially, the plane would take off under standard jet power, get to say 50,000 ft, then use the scram jet for the bulk of the trip, which from NY to LA would be about an hour. Figure maybe 30 minutes of which would be "powered" using the scramjet.

And the technology isn't new, the composite materials that resist breaking are. Apparantly, the design of the interior of the engine compartment is incredibly complex, taking advantage of the indivudual flow of air particles, not as a stream, but, using the energy of each particle, which is in chamber for a millisecond. Its actually tough to wrap my mind around how it could work with no moving parts..

It is way cool stuff though! And I think "because we can" is actually a pretty legitimate reason for doing things. If we didn't, we would never know if we could. 20 years ago, who ever thought we'd need a thingy called "the internet"? What good is that when you've got TV? Or cell phones? Progress progress progress...

[Capt_Nemo]

18. Because the russians were ahead of the US on scramjet technology

In the late 90's they flew a scramjet engine in a ballistic trajectory
at M6 / M6.5

Now the US has gone a step ahead by achieving a higher speed in a
craft with lifting devices (wing and/or body).

The last I heard about the russians were rumours couple of years ago
that they were working with the french to develop the technology
but not a thing since then.

Anyway, since people are talking about hypersonic airliners, I think
unfortunately this tech is being eyed first and foremost for
long range hypersonic cruise missiles. Hypersonic airliners will
have to wait.

[belle]

19. Well, if they could've deployed planes that fast to stop the 9/11 flights

that'd be something...

Then again, all the cool technology in the world doesn't make up for basic human failings. It'd be nice if more Americans realized this at some point...