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NASA Tests Hypersonic Blackswift
dijkstra writes "Blackswift was previously rumored to be a super secret hypersonic scramjet-based aircraft co-named HTV-3X, essentially a 21st century version of the SR-71. Today NASA has unveiled the real Blackswift (video link), which uses pulse detonation engines (PDEs). A PDE is essentially a modern version of the old V-1 buzz bomb engine. This engine requires significantly fewer moving parts and achieves much higher efficiency than a turbofan, and is technically able to go hypersonic without any kind of 'dual-stage' engine."
Actually it's neither NASA, nor the Air Force developing this. It's a DARPA program and the Skunk Works is the primary contractor. The contract doesn't officially begin until September of this year. The footage shown in the video is also not real--artists conceptions at best. Furthermore, the vehicle doesn't employ pulsed detonation engines for hypersonic flight. The so-called NASA analyst in the video just saw a request for money in the 2009 budget, stole some artist conception used for market assist, and tried to put the pieces together--poorly I might add.
Could this be the Aurora, the "triangular shaped" airplane with the "donuts on a rope" contrail that various people have reported seeing over the years? (I saw something on discovery channel about it)
The V1 flying bomb used a pulse jet engine rather than a pulse detonation engine - the difference being that a PDE burns at a supersonic rate whereas a regular PJ wouldn't be able to get to those speeds.
Pulse jets are surprisingly easy to build, and I'm going to flagrantly link to my own build log of my engine being built with videos of it running/imploding here.
Videos are all here.
Cheers.
http://www.frenchgeek.com/
Islam was the pinnacle of science and technology (9-14th centuries) until the Ash'ari movement became popular.
The Asharites questioned the value of evidence and scientific method, because they believed that the deep properties of nature were (and should stay) beyond the realm of human comprehension. Very much like your "God fearing" Midwestern Christians.
Sadly, i fear that the irony of the situation would be lost on these people, even if it were explained in very simple concepts.
I really do wonder what they're dicking around with out there. The two bits of evidence I heard of supporting the idea of a fancy post-SR-71 wonderplane were the donuts-on-a-rope contrails (which the link says can be produced by conventional aircraft under the right conditions) and linear earthquakes picked up on seismographs that do not follow any existing fault line that seemingly originate in the atmosphere. I've seen that "fact" mentioned before but have no idea how accurate it is.
http://tinwiki.org/wiki/Aurora#Contrail
I have no proof one way or the other, I just think it would be surprising for the government to retire something as valuable as the Blackbird without having an even better replacement in the works. Then again, using logic to explain government decisions is often a losing proposition.
Kwisatz Haderach
Sell the spice to CHOAM
This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
In fairness, humans DO have a problem with high speeds, but it's biological, not physical. A person's reaction time has a lower limit, and it is quite possible to exceed that limit and cause problems with a person's control of a vehicle regardless of gee forces. If this were not the case, then all it would take to be a race car driver would be an extra capacity bladder.
That being said, I'm pretty sure the anchor meant "wouldn't they be crushed?" Given that the main viewers of morning news programs are soccer moms killing time after their spawn have gone off to what passes for education in this country, I'm sure tat was their interpretation as well. After all, minivans are DANGEROUS when you go fast - that's why you have car seats and a cell phone. For emergencies.
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson