With 'Scramjet,' NASA Shoots for Mach 10

[Fausto]

Faster than Wduaqnug can mangle the English language....

Next week, NASA (news - web sites) plans to break the aircraft speed record for the second time in 7 1/2 months by flying its rocket-assisted X-43A scramjet craft 110,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean at speeds close to Mach 10 -- about 7,200 mph, or 10 times the speed of sound.


The flight will last perhaps 10 seconds and end with the pilotless aircraft plunging to a watery grave 850 miles off the California coast. But even if the X-43A doesn't set the record, it has already proved that the 40-year-old dream of "hypersonic" flight -- using air-breathing engines to reach speeds above Mach 5 (3,800 mph) -- has become reality.

Spiffy. :thumbsup:

 

[tweakmm]

Mach 10 isn't that fast.

 

[dabuddha]

Let me know when they reach warp 10

 

[K1052]

Originally posted by: dabuddha
Let me know when they reach warp 10

You can?t. It requires an infinite amount of energy to reach Warp 10. Duh.:roll:

 

[CrackRabbit]

Originally posted by: K1052

Originally posted by: dabuddha
Let me know when they reach warp 10

You can?t. It requires an infinite amount of energy to reach Warp 10. Duh.:roll:

not to mention you would need a warp drive, somebody should invent one of those first.