Hypersonic Research
An important part of NASA's aeronautical research involves
development of technology for future vehicles capable of airbreathing
hypersonic flight, which by definition is flight faster than
Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound (about 3,300 miles per
hour).
Over the past decade, NASA has conducted several hypersonic
exploratory investigations and built a technology base in such
areas as hypersonic propulsion, cryogenic fuel, materials and
structures, computer science, and integration of engines with
hypersonic airframes. A technology of particular interest is
the scramjet (supersonic combustion ramjet) propulsion system,
which burns a mix of hydrogen carried aboard the vehicle and
oxygen scooped up from the atmosphere.
One possible configuration of a future airbreathing hypersonic
vehicle that could cruise within the atmosphere at speeds up
to Mach 10.
In 1997, NASA will initiate a new effort to advance hypersonic
technology for airbreathing vehicles. Called Hypersonic X-Vehicle
(Hyper-X), it is a technology development program intended to
further expand the knowledge base in this area of aeronautics.
Successful development of the essential technologies would afford
potential for future application in global reach military aircraft
or, in space operations, as the first stage of a two-stage-to-orbit
vehicle.
Preliminary design, analysis and wind tunnel work was conducted
in 1995-96. The program contemplates a five-year effort, beginning
in Fiscal Year 1997, involving wind tunnel and flight tests of
a subscale, unmanned experimental airframe powered by an airframe-embedded
scramjet engine. Flight tests, to begin in 1998, will be conducted
at specified test points up to Mach 10.
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