 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Captive Carry Test Prepares For Next X-43A / Hyper-X Flight
Edwards CA (SPX) Sep 03, 2004 Only days after Guinness World Records certified the prior flight of NASA's X-43A hypersonic technology demonstrator aircraft as a world speed record, a full-scale dress rehearsal for the last and even faster flight of the small unpiloted research aircraft is tentatively scheduled to occur on Tuesday, Sept. 7 from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. The dress rehearsal, officially called a "captive carry" mission, will involve a full-up replication of all operational functions that will occur on the actual research flight later this fall. In this captive carry mission, however, the X-43A and its modified first-stage Pegasus launch rocket will not be launched from NASA's B-52B mother ship. The X-43A is powered by a revolutionary supersonic-combustion ramjet or "scramjet" engine integrated into the airframe. During its flight last March, the second X-43A maintained a speed of at least Mach 6.83, or almost seven times the speed of sound. For the final flight, the third vehicle is tentatively targeted to reach and maintain a speed of about Mach 10, or close to 7,200 mph. Pending thorough evaluation of all captive-carry flight data, the test could lead to launch of the X-43A on its final flight in the Hyper-X hypersonic research program in late October. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links X-43 updates at NASA SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express Launch Pad at Space-Travel.com
Soyuz To Launch Radarsat-2
Evry, France (SPX) Jan 11, 2006Starsem announced Monday the signing of a contract with MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) for the launch of MDA's RADARSAT-2 Earth observation satellite by a Soyuz launch vehicle. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
