Boeing's X-51 WaveRider Jet Crashes In Mach 6 Attempt

An anonymous reader writes "Boeing's experimental hypersonic X-51 WaveRider aircraft crashed today during an attempt to hit Mach 6 while traveling over the Pacific Ocean. The cause of the crash was a faulty control fin, which compromised the test before the Scramjet engine could be lit. A vehicle traveling at Mach 6 (six times the speed of sound) would be able to travel from New York to London in just one hour."

Comments

What's the hurry?

[xzvf]

It takes 2-3 hours to get through security at the airport, and 1-2 hours to get bags and transportation at the other end, plus an hour commute time to the hotel. I'd rather have a big plane with a lay flat bed, and show up the next morning.

How curious...

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

It's always a little strange to see the 'New York to London' figure given for something that is fairly clearly intended for blunt-force diplomacy, not passenger travel.

We ditched the Concorde years ago because there weren't enough customers to make flying that fast economic.

Re:"just one hour"

[pixelpusher220]

Depends where it crashes.

Re:travel from New York to London in just one hour

[Baloroth]

when writers should be acknowledging that such meaningful (ie, passenger and cargo) flights will never happen.

"Never" encompasses a very long period of time, and should almost never be used in speaking about technology. I'm sure 250 years ago people would have also said it would never be possible to communicate with another person on the other side of the planet in real-time, and yet here we are.