Slashdot Mirror
How We Might Have Scramjets Sooner than Expected
loralai writes "Recent breakthroughs in scramjet engines could mean two-hour flights from New York to Tokyo. This technology, decades in the making, could redefine our understanding of air travel and military encounters. 'To put things in context, the world's fastest jet, the Air Force's SR-71 Blackbird spy plane, set a speed record of Mach 3.3 in 1990 when it flew from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., in just over an hour. That's about the limit for jet engines; the fastest fighter planes barely crack Mach 1.6. Scramjets, on the other hand, can theoretically fly as fast as Mach 15--nearly 10,000 mph.'"
Don't worry, between the security line, customs, delays, and waiting on the tarmac, you'll still be garunteed at least 10 hours at the airport for any trip.
I still have more fans than freaks. WTF is wrong with you people?
. . . and fusion power in 10 . . .
Nobody expects the scramjet engine!
The enemies of Democracy are
The incredible cost of fuel required to slam one of these puppies through the atmosphere is more than compensated for by the savings to the airline due to not having to serve more than one round of beverages.
I've heard stories that UFOs are real.
step 3: god dammit, it doesn't work
Well, I said fact-checking was *your* friend. Not mine. :P
I like basketball!!1!
Maybe where YOU come from.
Does it make you happy you're so strange?
Never underestimate the bandwidth of a scramjet full of DVDs...
Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
a) You met a total nutjob who claimed to be a SR-71 pilot, and you believed him?
b) Of course that's who the government hires to fly their uber-secret missions. What kind of idiot would believe a total nutjob?
I suppose that would depend on whether the collision occurred while overtaking the duck or head-on. In the first case, the duck's velocity would have to be subtracted from that of the airplane. In the latter, the velocities would be added.
Have gnu, will travel.