NASA to Attempt Mach 10 Flight Next Week

Dirak writes "NASA intends to break its own aircraft-speed record for the second time this year by flying X43a scramjet ten times faster than sound. On November 15 the X-43A supersonic-combustion ramjet - or scramjet - will again take to the skies aiming for Mach 10."

Comments

What is the Speed of Sound?

[Anonymous Coward]

Just above the atmosphere, what is the speed of sound? I guess when an article says 10 times the speed of sound it means the speed of sound at sea level right? But this aircraft isn't at sea level. This aircraft skips on top of the atmosphere pulsing the scramjets while dropping into the atmosphere.

The speed of sound isn't a good tool to measure the speed, as the speed of sound without an atmosphere is either infinite, undefined, zero or a combination of the choices. I mean once you get into space, should you add the speed the earth is rotating plus the speed around the sun using a basis of sound?

Final Flight

[SimURL]

If successful it would be a great accomplishment. However, according to this Wired article
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,65671, 00.html?tw=wn_tophead_3,
NASA is "phasing out its hypersonic engine program to free up funding for President Bush's 'Vision for Space Exploration,' which calls on NASA to focus its energy on sending humans to the moon and Mars."

Therefore,
"As of now, next week's X-43A flight is the final flight in the $230 million program."

I can't help but wonder if these priorities are correct as I'm not quite sure what we intend to do after we reach the moon and Mars.

This is what NASA is meant FOR

[Thud457]

People, people. This is what NASA should be doing. Basic aeronautical research.

Then some smartass hillbilly with nine-inch sideburns can make use of their research to build a rocketplane and proclaim : "Spaceship 2, Government 0"!