Hypersonic Aircraft

NASA plans budgeted U.S. $ 5 million per year within the next three years to develop a hypersonic vehicle that could fly up to 5 times the speed of sound.

If the aircraft is used in commercial aviation, so he no longer need 21 hours to travel between New York and Sydney. Enough 2 hours only. Also reportedly, the technology will be implemented on commercial aircraft.

However, the main goal of this project is to find ways how people can go into space and to planets like Mars without using rockets.

Instead of a rocket, the vehicle will use a machine that uses air, like a commercial aircraft. Although hypersonic flight ever achieved several times before, this approach is a new technology. The aircraft will be capable of taking off and landing like a passenger plane, but with more power.

According to NASA proposal quoted by TG Daily, 9 November 2010, the plane will have to be used repeatedly. To that end, new materials need to be developed so as to overcome the very high temperatures.

Mentioned, the main problem is an obstacle in developing a hypersonic plane is overheating. And since the plane will fly and land like a normal plane, the transition from normal speed to hypersonic speeds after the plane left the atmosphere. For that, control and energy management is critical.

For information, hypersonic aircraft is currently the fastest X51-A Waverider is also developed for NASA. The aircraft is airborne with the help of B-52 bomber aircraft is capable of reaching speeds of Mach 6 (about 7350 kilometers per hour) for about 3 minutes.

In addition, NASA also has X43-A, hypersonic aircraft capable of flying at nearly 7 times the speed of sound (speed of sound to reach 1236 kilometers per hour at a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius).