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Last modified: Sunday, 15 April 12:58 pm 2012

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Hypersonic Waveriders: page 02

2009: December 24

New materials designed to deal with hypersonic and supersonic hot stuff

University of Queensland researchers are testing new materials to withstand the extreme heat experienced by hypersonic vehicles in flight so they can fly for substantially longer. In high speed aircraft, air friction can cause extreme heating of the leading edge – temperatures on the surface of an object travelling at Mach 5 can reach 1000 degrees C (1800 deg F). These high temperatures can not be sustained by most materials. Another challenging problem area is inside the scramjet engine, which must handle a corrosive mix of hot oxygen and combustion products, as well as high thermal, mechanical and acoustic loadings. At higher speeds the temperatures can be even more extreme – for example at Mach 8 the temperatures can reach 2700 degress C at the leading edge and 3000 degrees C in the engine combustion chamber.

Others involved in this hugh program are DARPA...

DARPA Selects Four Contractors for Vulcan Hypersonic Engine Program

  The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has kicked off the Vulcan program with awards to four contractors. The four contractors participating in the eight–month first phase are: Alliant TechSystems, General Electric, Rolls Royce and United Technologies....The Vulcan program is a propulsion system demonstration effort to design, build and ground–test an engine capable of accelerating a full–scale hypersonic vehicle from rest to Mach–4+. The Vulcan engine is critical to enabling full–scale hypersonic cruise vehicles for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, strike or other critical national missions.

2009: July 23

Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC)

AEDC reaches major milestone with hypersonic engine testing Machinist Everett Fulmer inspects the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Falcon Combined–cycle Engine Technology (FaCET) scramjet test article in the center's Aerodynamic and Propulsion Test Unit test cell prior to a test. (Photo by Rick Goodfriend)

Woomera Test Range

Woomera is an Australian icon. It is synonymous with the testing of long range missiles and rockets during the Cold War, and the launch and tracking of spacecraft in the early days of the Space Age. Today, the Woomera Test Range in South Australia is a strategic defence asset used mainly for aerospace test and evaluation activities. It remains the largest land–based range in the world and hosts a wide spectrum of ground, air and space activities for Australian and international government and commercial organisations. The range is managed and operated by the Aerospace Operational Support Group (AOSG) of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

The Woomera is used to extend the velocity of a singular action   A woomera is an Australian Aboriginal spear-throwing device usually used for larger prey or when there is a greater distance to be overcome. It has been described as “the most efficient spear-throwing device ever”

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2007: June 15

High speed success at Woomera

Australias Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) has successfully launched one of the worlds fastest air–breathing engine experiments, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Mr Peter Lindsay announced. The scramjet engine experiment reached speeds of up to Mach 10, approximately 11,000 km per hour, or ten times the speed of sound. Scramjets are air–breathing supersonic combustion ramjet engines that could make it possible for a two hour flight from Sydney to London. “This research is a major boost to Australian and international scramjet technology research,“ Mr Lindsay said. –Today's flight rocketed to an altitude of 530km, and reached Mach 10 during re–entry, Mr Lindsay said. “Australia is a world leader in hypersonics research.” “Scramjet research has taken place in Australia for over three decades. We have active research programs in niche technologies of scramjet propulsion as well as guidance and control at hypersonic speeds.” The flight took place at the Woomera Test Facility in South Australia on 15th June under a collaborative effort between the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and DSTO, also representing the research collaborators in the Australian Hypersonics Initiative (AHI). “This test has obtained the first ever flight data on the inward turning scramjet engine design,” said Dr. Steven Walker, Deputy Director of the Tactical Technology Office at DARPA. “DARPA will compare this flight data to ground test data measured on the same engine configuration in the US.”

2009: May 7 | 2010: March 23

  More test programs going on down here at Woomera Test Range in outback South Australia.“Hypersonic” Programs like HIFiRE.. The first test, 7 May, 2009 Trialling hypersonic flight at Woomera and the second test, March 23rd off ten tests was successful HIFiRE: Five times the speed of sound and ABC(aus) News report— Success for hypersonic outback flight at 5,000 kilometres per hour(Mach–4), from Ground Launch.

Woomera Test Pad, The first test 7 May, 2009

Woomera First Test Launch, 7 May, 2009

Woomera Second Test Launch, March 23, 2010

  The tests, conducted at Woomera in South Australia over the past eight years, have used scramjet engines made of conventional materials which have problems with extreme heat including melting, and are not designed for re–use.
However, further experimental tests are planned in 2011 through to 2013 in the HiFIRE series at Woomera using free–flying engines and eventually, a whole free–flying vehicle which will generate enough thrust to fly for a minute
The $1.5 million project is run by the Defence Materials Technology Centre (DMTC) and involves core participants UQ, The University of Melbourne, Swinburne University of Technology, BAE Systems, DSTO and ANSTO.

2009: 22 May

Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO)

  “Hypersonics is the study of flight exceeding approximately five times the speed of sound, and this trial has successfully tested the flight and mission control systems that will be used in future experiments,” Mr Snowdon said.
Using nitrogen gas valves as thrusters to manoeuvre the test vehicle in space, the test vehicle was turned onto the correct heading and elevation for re–entry into the atmosphere as designed.

2006: August 18 | September 26

X–37 ALTV Test Flight

X-37_Early_Tests_August-18--September-26 Uploaded by Splatflys. - Videos of the latest science discoveries and tech.

2004: November 16

NASA's X–43A Scramjet Breaks Speed Record

  NASA's X–43A research vehicle screamed into the record books again Tuesday, demonstrating an air–breathing engine can fly at nearly 10 times the speed of sound. Preliminary data from the scramjet–powered research vehicle show its revolutionary engine worked successfully at nearly Mach 9.8, or 7,000 mph, as it flew at about 110,000 feet.
The high–risk, high–payoff flight, originally scheduled for Nov. 15, took place in restricted airspace over the Pacific Ocean northwest of Los Angeles. The flight was the last and fastest of three unpiloted flight tests in NASA's Hyper–X Program. The program's purpose is to explore an alternative to rocket power for space access vehicles.
“This flight is a key milestone and a major step toward the future possibilities for producing boosters for sending large and critical payloads into space in a reliable, safe, inexpensive manner,” said NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe. “These developments will also help us advance the Vision for Space Exploration, while helping to advance commercial aviation technology,” Administrator O'Keefe said.
Supersonic combustion ramjets (scramjets) promise more airplane–like operations for increased affordability, flexibility and safety in ultra high–speed flights within the atmosphere and for the first stage to Earth orbit. The scramjet advantage is once it is accelerated to about Mach 4 by a conventional jet engine or booster rocket, it can fly at hypersonic speeds, possibly as fast as Mach 15, without carrying heavy oxygen tanks, as rockets must.
The design of the engine, which has no moving parts, compresses the air passing through it, so combustion can occur. Another advantage is scramjets can be throttled back and flown more like an airplane, unlike rockets, which tend to produce full thrust all the time.

X–43A Flight 3 Takeoff November 16–04' #1 Courtesy: 'NASA'

X–43A Flight 3 Launch November 16 2004 #2 Courtesy: 'NASA'

X–43A Flight 3 Summary November 16 2004 #3 Courtesy: 'NASA'

1998:

TR–3B. ED Fouche– From the 1998 ‘Summer Seminars’

Video #2
A friend of ED's related an inflight instance while flying a SR–71 Black Bird in the Seventies he was returning from a reconnaissance flight at Mach–3 when he encounted a ball of dence Plasma like light hovering over his Left Wing tip at an altitude of 74,000ft. The Ball moved all over the aircraft.

(CGI) TR–3B (AURORA) CLASSIFIED RALPH6343 TR-3B CGI Uploaded by Zelong.

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