Please let me remind all of you--this material is copyrighted. Though partially funded by NASA, it is still a private site. Therefore, before using our materials in any form, electronic or otherwise, you need to ask permission.
There are two ways to browse the site: (1) use the search button above to find specific materials using keywords; or,
(2) go to specific headings like history, principles or careers at specific levels above and click on the button. 
Teachers may go directly to the Teachers' Guide from the For Teachers button above or site browse as in (1) and  (2).

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 3300 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.

In 1997, NASA will initiate a new effort to advance hypersonic technology for airbreathing vehicles. Called Hypersonic XVehicle (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.

One possible configuration of a future airbreathing hypersonic vehicle
that couldcruise within the atmosphereat speeds up to Mach 10.

Visit our Video Gallery for streaming videos on the Hyper-X vehicle.

Send all comments to allstar@fiu.edu
© 1995-2012 ALLSTAR Network. All rights reserved worldwide.

Funded in part by

Updated: March 12, 2004