{"id":582336,"date":"2010-05-27T11:41:39","date_gmt":"2010-05-27T15:41:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.discovermagazine.com\/80beats\/?p=15399"},"modified":"2010-05-27T11:41:39","modified_gmt":"2010-05-27T15:41:39","slug":"hypersonic-jet-screams-through-the-stratophere-at-mach-5-80beats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/582336","title":{"rendered":"Hypersonic Jet Screams Through the Stratophere at Mach 5 | 80beats"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Yesterday morning, about 70,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean, the Boeing-designed X-51A Waverider &#8220;scramjet&#8221; set a new record. Reaching Mach 5 (almost 4,000 miles per hour), it wasn&#8217;t the fastest jet flight, but by burning for over 200 seconds it became the longest flight of its kind. The previous scramjet record, held by the NASA X-43, was 12 seconds.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"embeddedvideo\" type=\"application\/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"620\" height=\"375\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/0aNsbb4_C9A&amp;color1=0xb1b1b1&amp;color2=0xd0d0d0&amp;hl=en_GB&amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;fs=1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>A scramjet is similar to a simpler engine called a ramjet, but faster. The engines on most commercial jets have turbines to push air inside, but a ramjet is basically a tapered tube. As air flows through it, the shape of the tube compresses the air and, once the engine mixes this air with fuel, it ignites.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Unlike well-understood ordinary ramjets, which slow the air passing through them to subsonic speeds, the X-51 is intended to maintain combustion in a supersonic internal airflow &#8212; hence the name scramjet, for supersonic combustion ramjet &#8212; a feat often likened to &#8220;striking a match in a hurricane&#8221;. [<a rel=\"nofollow\"  href=\"http:\/\/www.theregister.co.uk\/2010\/05\/21\/x_51_scramjet_test_confirmed\/\">The Register<\/a>]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span id=\"more-15399\"><\/span>Since it needs moving air to fire, a ramjet can&#8217;t start from a standstill. Yesterday, a NASA-operated B-52 Stratofortress took the unmanned jet under its wing and dropped it at about 50,000 feet. Then a solid rocket booster accelerated the X-51 to about Mach 4.5. Then, on its own power, the scramjet climbed 20,000 feet, accelerated to Mach 5, and burned it engine for a total flight time of about 200 seconds.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>&#8220;We are ecstatic to have accomplished most of our test points on the X-51A&#8217;s very first hypersonic mission,&#8221; said Charlie Brink, a X-51A program manager with the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. &#8220;We equate this leap in engine technology as equivalent to the post-World War II jump from propeller-driven aircraft to jet engines.&#8221; [<a rel=\"nofollow\"  href=\"http:\/\/www.af.mil\/news\/story.asp?id=123206525\">U.S. Air Force<\/a>]<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>NASA&#8217;s <\/span>X-43A scramjet still holds the record for fastest jet engine flight, achieving about a 12 second run at Mach 9.6 in 2004. But the X-43A used hydrogen, which would require huge tanks if the jet found commercial use. The X-51A does not have this liability; it uses an easier-to-carry hydrocarbon fuel.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Joe Vogel, Boeing&#8217;s director of hypersonics, said, &#8220;This is a new world record and sets the foundation for several hypersonic applications, including access to space, reconnaissance, strike, global reach and commercial transportation.&#8221; [<a rel=\"nofollow\"  href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-dyn\/content\/article\/2010\/05\/27\/AR2010052701041.html\">Washington Post<\/a>]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"embeddedvideo\" type=\"application\/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"620\" height=\"375\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/VZUwKX3_uE4&amp;color1=0xb1b1b1&amp;color2=0xd0d0d0&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;fs=1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Related content:<br \/>\nDISCOVER: <a rel=\"nofollow\"  href=\"http:\/\/discovermagazine.com\/2001\/apr\/breakrides\">Cheaper Rides Into Space<\/a><br \/>\nDISCOVER: <a rel=\"nofollow\"  href=\"http:\/\/discovermagazine.com\/2008\/feb\/it.s-2008-here.s-your-jet-pack\"><span>It&#8217;s 2008. Here&#8217;s Your Jet Pack<\/span><\/a><br \/>\n80beats: <a rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Permanent Link: DARPA Wants a Biofuel Jet, While Germany Works on a Hydrogen Plane\"  href=\"http:\/\/blogs.discovermagazine.com\/80beats\/2008\/10\/03\/darpa-wants-a-biofuel-jet-while-germany-works-on-a-hydrogen-plane\/\">DARPA Wants a Biofuel Jet, While Germany Works on a Hydrogen Plane<\/a><br \/>\n80beats: <a rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Permanent Link: Super-Green, Algae-Derived Jet Fuel Passes Tests With Flying Colors\"  href=\"http:\/\/blogs.discovermagazine.com\/80beats\/2008\/09\/10\/algae-derived-jet-fuel-is-almost-ready-for-the-market\/\">Super-Green, Algae-Derived Jet Fuel Passes Tests With Flying Colors<\/a><br \/>\n80beats: <a rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Permanent Link to DARPA Loses Contact with Mach 20 &#x00201c;Hypersonic Glider&#x00201d; During Test Flight\"  href=\"http:\/\/mblogs.discovermagazine.com\/80beats\/2010\/04\/27\/darpa-loses-contact-with-mach-20-hypersonic-glider-during-test-flight\/\">DARPA Loses Contact with Mach 20 \u201cHypersonic Glider\u201d During Test Flight<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\"  href=\"http:\/\/feedads.g.doubleclick.net\/~a\/Yef2cyQg-k3n8oTMN7a-mb4DOTg\/0\/da\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feedads.g.doubleclick.net\/~a\/Yef2cyQg-k3n8oTMN7a-mb4DOTg\/0\/di\" border=\"0\" ismap><\/a><br \/>\n<a rel=\"nofollow\"  href=\"http:\/\/feedads.g.doubleclick.net\/~a\/Yef2cyQg-k3n8oTMN7a-mb4DOTg\/1\/da\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feedads.g.doubleclick.net\/~a\/Yef2cyQg-k3n8oTMN7a-mb4DOTg\/1\/di\" border=\"0\" ismap><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"feedflare\">\n<a rel=\"nofollow\"  href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/80beats?a=aMKAhR_8NHc:Qywdb4Msr24:yIl2AUoC8zA\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/80beats?d=yIl2AUoC8zA\" border=\"0\"><\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\"  href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/80beats?a=aMKAhR_8NHc:Qywdb4Msr24:V_sGLiPBpWU\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/80beats?i=aMKAhR_8NHc:Qywdb4Msr24:V_sGLiPBpWU\" border=\"0\"><\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\"  href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/80beats?a=aMKAhR_8NHc:Qywdb4Msr24:gIN9vFwOqvQ\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/80beats?i=aMKAhR_8NHc:Qywdb4Msr24:gIN9vFwOqvQ\" border=\"0\"><\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\"  href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/80beats?a=aMKAhR_8NHc:Qywdb4Msr24:F7zBnMyn0Lo\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/80beats?i=aMKAhR_8NHc:Qywdb4Msr24:F7zBnMyn0Lo\" border=\"0\"><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~r\/80beats\/~4\/aMKAhR_8NHc\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~r\/DiscoverMag\/~4\/B572GQuEs_o\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\"\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Yesterday morning, about 70,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean, the Boeing-designed X-51A Waverider &#8220;scramjet&#8221; set a new record. Reaching Mach 5 (almost 4,000 miles per hour), it wasn&#8217;t the fastest jet flight, but by burning for over 200 seconds it became the longest flight of its kind. The previous scramjet record, held by the NASA [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":641,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-582336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/582336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/641"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=582336"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/582336\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=582336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=582336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=582336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}