Slashdot Mirror


Bad Testing Doomed NASA's Hypersonic X-43A

RobertB-DC writes "Space.com got hold of NASA's yet-to-be-released report on the June 2001 failure of the air-breathing X-43A hypersonic research vehicle, and it doesn't look good for 'Faster, Better, Cheaper'. The report refuses to single out any one contributing factor, but it cites ground testing 'inaccuracies' and 'misinterpretation' of wind tunnel data -- in particular, failure to retest the vehicle after additional heat protection was added. As noted in the original Slashdot article, the craft went out of control when the fins broke off just seconds into flight."

2 of 233 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Huh? by iosmart · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    a six-pack? how in the hell does someone get so drunk they pass out from a six-pack?? i been drinkin the wrong beer then!! anyhow, i think we've drifted far far away from the topic...

  2. Re:Huh to you too by eddy · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    "Secondly, not all "Linux people" are loners who never get laid."

    True. Most of us are, but not all, I'll grant you that.

    --
    Belief is the currency of delusion.