Marc Flemming
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Registered: Jan 2003
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Location: Santa Cruz
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An experimental hypersonic plane has broken the world speed record by flying at seven times the speed of sound, said US space agency Nasa. The unpiloted X-43A aircraft used a scramjet engine that could one day usher in a new generation of space shuttle propulsion systems. It flew for 10 seconds on its own power over California, then glided for six minutes before falling into the ocean. "Everything went according to plan," said Nasa spokeswoman Leslie Williams. "I actually thought it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. We've been waiting a few years." "For the first time we succeeded in separating two vehicles flying at Mach 7."
Project boss Vincent Rausch earlier said the $230m programme "could mark the beginning of a revolution in aviation and space flight". Scramjets burn hydrogen but take their oxygen from the air, which is forced into the engine at very high speed.
Rocket engines have to carry their own source of oxygen. The term scramjet stands for supersonic combustible ramjet. The technology could eventually pave the way for faster long-distance air travel and cheaper access to space. But that is many years away, says the BBC's Jon Leyne in Washington. Experts estimate that the first manned craft powered by scramjets would not take to the air until the year 2025. Saturday's mission began when a B-52 bomber carrying the tiny prototype aircraft under its wing took off from Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Once the bomber reached cruising altitude of 12,000 metres (40,000 feet), the aircraft was launched in mid-air. Its speed was initially boosted by a rocket, which fell away at about 30,000 metres (100,000 feet) leaving the X-43A to fly under its own power for 10 seconds. The aircraft then glided through the atmosphere, conducting a series of aerodynamic manoeuvres for around six minutes before finally splashing down into the Pacific Ocean. The mission marked the first time a non-rocket, air-breathing scramjet engine had successfully powered a vehicle in flight at hypersonic speeds. An attempt to fly an X-43A three years ago ended in the destruction of the vehicle when its launch system failed.
Source: BBC
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04-03-2004 07:33 PM
