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X43-A on to Mach 10
Cat_Byte writes "On March 28 we read about the X43-A hitting Mach 7 with a successful scramjet test. Prior to that on June 2, 2001 the craft tore itself to pieces during a trial run. Well now they are preparing to hit Mach 10. The upcoming Mach 10 run of the X-43A appears to mark an end of the program. The seven-year, approximately $250 million Hyper-X program was created to provide unique "first time" data on hypersonic air-breathing engine technologies.
"At Mach 7, the front leading edge of the vehicle would see about 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit. At Mach 10, its probably twice that -- twice the heat load essentially," Sitz explained
FYI, Mach 10 is about 2 miles per second."
Godspeed.
When do you think this will be up for grabs as a "rich-persons" big dollar thrill ride?
Still cool tho...
Two miles per second is an almost unfathomable speed to me. It's like me trying to fully grasp the vast distances of the universe. I just can't do it.
Not everything is analogous to cars. Car analogies rarely work.
Most children are taught that you can count the seconds between a seeing a lightning strike and hearing a thunderclap and divide by five to determine how far the strike was in miles. This means that the speed of sound (Mach 1) is 5 seconds per mile, i.e., .2 miles per second (.5 km per second, I know...). It should therefore be well known to the same child that Mach 10 (10x the speed of sound) is 2 miles per second.
just curious why this was modded troll?
to bridge the gap (cost and speed) between current cruise missiles and ICBMs.
"Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!"
Lifting body? With that kind of speed and that duration of flight, you don't need much lift.
- "Nobody came out that night, not one was ever seen. But Old Man Stauf is waiting there, crazy sick and mean!"
Lifting body? With that kind of speed and that duration of flight, you don't need much lift.
The final craft is supposed to be of a lifting body design. This is to provide as smooth of an airframe as possible. Even the slightest corner or dent could be a potential heat buildup hazard.
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
Because we didn't want people knowing there were stealth planes up there spying on/bombing them, but it's pretty obvious when somthing goes across your radar screen at mach 10. If you can't hide it you might as well show it off.
"Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!"
Who should it be kept secret from, the Afghans? Phillipino rebels?
The arms race is over, we won by a nose.
Besides, brute strength doesn't win conflicts anymore.
Craftiness rules the current battlefeild;
expendable scouts (unmanned)
accurate weapons (gps, laser)
situational awareness (combat command systems)
psi-ops (photos, pamphlets, radios)
weapons that are secret because they weren't
weapons 30 minutes ago (airplanes, bird flu, etc)
I doubt any of our enemies even care exactly
how fast our planes can fly unless they are
planning to take over the controls.
sorry, it's the clueless who actually continue to watch that show!
Sure, but at what point does "interaction between molecules" cease being considered continuous and start being considered as discrete events?
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The last digit is wrong. It should be 6.
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