Category: NASA

Guinness World Records has recognized the world speed record set by NASA’s hypersonic X-43A aircraft in an experimental flight over the Pacific Ocean earlier this year. The unpiloted, 12- foot-long aircraft achieved Mach 6.83 — almost seven times the speed of sound — or nearly 5,000 mph, while its supersonic-combustion ramjet (scramjet) engine propelled the craft for 11 seconds during the flight on March 27.

The accomplishment will be included in the 2006 Guinness World Records book, set for release this time next year, as follows:

“On 27 March 2004, NASA’s unmanned Hyper-X (X-43A) airplane reached Mach 6.83, almost seven times the speed of sound. The X-43A was boosted to an altitude of 29,000 m (95,000 ft) by a Pegasus rocket launched from beneath a B52-B aircraft. The revolutionary ‘scramjet’ aircraft then burned its engine for around 11 seconds during flight over the Pacific Ocean.”

If NASA researchers have their way, the record won’t stand long. The final flight in the Hyper-X program is scheduled to take place in October, when another X-43A aircraft will attempt to fly at Mach 10 — ten times the speed of sound — or 7,200 mph.

The flight was part of NASA’s Hyper-X program, designed to demonstrate advanced high-speed propulsion system concepts to overcome one of the greatest aeronautical research challenges – air-breathing hypersonic flight. The advantage of air-breathing flight is that the vehicle — whether it is aircraft or spacecraft ?scoops the air its engines need from the atmosphere rather than carrying heavy, bulky tanks, as rockets do.

The challenge is to introduce fuel, ignite it and produce positive thrust while highly compressed air rushes through the engine in mere milliseconds — roughly analogous to lighting a match and keeping it burning in a hurricane-force wind.

Compared to rocket-powered vehicles like the Space Shuttle, scramjets promise more airplane-like operations for increased affordability, flexibility and safety for ultra high-speed flights within the atmosphere and into Earth orbit.

The X-43A flight easily set a world speed record for an air-breathing engine aircraft. The previous known record was held by a ramjet-powered missile, which achieved slightly more than Mach 5. A ramjet operates by subsonic combustion of fuel in a stream of air compressed by the forward speed of the aircraft itself, as opposed to a normal jet engine, in which the compressor section (the fan blades) compresses the air. A scramjet (supersonic-combustion ramjet) is a ramjet engine in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic.

The highest speed attained by a rocket-powered airplane, NASA’s X-15 aircraft, was Mach 6.7.The fastest air-breathing, manned vehicle, the SR-71, achieved slightly more than Mach 3.2. The X-43A more than doubled the top speed of the jet-powered SR-71.

Guinness World Records? science editor David Hawksett has already expressed a n interest in attending the fall flight.

“Operating an atmospheric vehicle at almost Mach 7 is impressive enough, but to be able to use oxygen from the air, instead of a fuel tank, as it screams into the engine intakes at 5,000 mph is a mind-boggling technical achievement. It?s wonderful to see scramjet technology finally begin to take off,” said Hawksett.

The Hyper-X program is conducted by NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate with the NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., as lead center with responsibility for hypersonic technology development and the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., responsible for flight research and testing.

Guinness World Records issued a certificate to NASA documenting the X-43A accomplishment, and will feature the story on its web site: http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/

For more information on NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate programs, including Hyper-X, on the Internet, visit: http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/

Original Source: NASA News Release

Here’s an article about the biggest airplane in the world.

Human-like hands, fingers and even television camera eyes have been hallmarks of NASA’s Robonaut, but recent work seeks to give the nimble robot legs, or at least a leg, and even wheels.

Robonaut took its first steps recently during tests at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, using a single “space leg” to move around the outside of a simulated Space Station. Other recent tests put the humanoid robot on wheels, a Segway scooter to be exact, and let it take to the road.

In either configuration, Robonaut?s head, torso, mechanical arms and hands maintain their ability to use the same space tools as humans. In the tests using its “space leg,” Robonaut commuted like a futuristic construction worker hand-over-hand outside a mock spacecraft. Aboard the gryo-stabilized wheels, it glided from one test station to another as its descendants might someday on the surface of the Moon or Mars.

Tests with the leg confirmed that Robonaut could climb around the outside of a spacecraft using handholds and plant its foot at a work site to make repairs or install parts. NASA?s goal is to build robots that could ?live? on the outside of spacecraft, ready for routine maintenance or emergencies. Humans inside the spacecraft would operate Robonaut with wireless controls.

The wheeled tests provided initial proof of concept for planetary Centaurs that merge humanoid robots with rovers. Those tests put Robonaut through its paces while mounted on a Segway Robotic Mobility Platform. They showed that a single teleoperator could simultaneously control both the robot?s mobility and dexterity with a wireless control system.

The climbing tests were a significant step in Robonaut?s development, proving the system?s capability for climbing, stabilizing and handling extravehicular activity (EVA) tools and interfaces in the space environment. The test featured a battery-powered, wireless Robonaut system mounted to an air-bearing sled, floating on a cushion of air, to eliminate friction and emulate the sensations experienced by astronauts working in zero gravity. Robonaut climbed using EVA handrails and plugged its stabilizing ?space leg? into a standard space station WIF (Worksite Interface Fixture) socket, while its operators drove Robonaut?s multiple limbs using innovative new telepresence controls.

?This test proved Robonaut can be operated wirelessly using an interchangeable base for different stabilization and locomotion systems — and it did it in a frictionless, space-like environment,” said Test Conductor Dr. Robert Ambrose of JSC?s Automation, Robotics and Simulation Division. ?These are all key capabilities needed for the development of future ?EVA squads? that leverage the combined talents of humans and robots to make vast improvements in spacewalk productivity.?

The Robonaut Project, which Ambrose leads, is a collaborative effort with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and has been under development at JSC for several years. There are two Robonauts, each with highly dexterous hands that can work with the same tools humans use. Operators remotely control movements of the Robonauts? heads, limbs, hands and twin cameras through a combination of virtual-reality interfaces and verbal commands, relayed either through dedicated cabling or wireless systems.

In order to move about in a zero-gravity environment, a robot must be able to climb by itself, using gaits that smoothly manage its momentum and that minimize contact forces while providing for safety in the event of an emergency. To access worksites aboard the International Space Station and future spacecraft, robots must interact with spacewalking aids designed for humans including tethers, handrails and work anchors.

?The tests were very successful,? Ambrose said. ?The Robonaut team learned which climbing maneuvers are more feasible than others, and tested automated software safety reactions using the robot?s built-in force sensors. We also identified new opportunities for using these sensors in semi-automatic modes that will help operators across short (1-10 second) time delays. Our team will continue to tackle these challenges as NASA looks forward to applying human-robotic interaction to the tasks associated with returning to the Moon and going on to Mars.?

Learn more about Robonaut on the Internet at:

robonaut.nasa.gov

Original Source: NASA News Release

Image credit: NASA
Administrator Sean O’Keefe today acknowledged the tough financial decisions that have to be made by Congress in passing the fiscal year 2005 budget, but asked the chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations to restore more than $1 billion of recommended cuts made Tuesday by the appropriations subcommittee.

“Over the course of the past year, Congress has called for the President to articulate a vision and strategy for space exploration. The President’s budget proposes the means to support the Vision for Space Exploration while the Subcommittee’s position does not provide the resources,” said the Administrator in a letter to Committee Chairman C. W. Bill Young, Republican congressman from Florida’s 10th District. “We are encouraged that the Subcommittee endorsed the Vision for Space Exploration in their markup, indicating they are hopeful that it may be possible to augment NASA funding as the appropriations process moves forward.”

Tuesday, members of the subcommittee recommended to the full Appropriations Committee a $15.1 billion budget for NASA, cutting about $1.1 billion from the President’s 2005 fiscal year submission. The NASA budget is part of a $93 billion spending bill that also provides funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency.

“The Subcommittee-recommended funding level for NASA would adversely affect its ongoing science and technology programs, as well as the NASA workforce, and will delay plans for FY 2005 critical technology design efforts needed to better define the architecture in support of the Vision for Space Exploration,” the Administrator continued in his letter. “It is very important that these design efforts go forward in FY 2005 to enable NASA to address the long-lead, high-risk requirements that will form the basis for informed decisions by Congress on next steps in the Exploration plan.”

The Administrator thanked Chairman Young for the Appropriation Committee’s support of the Vision for Space Exploration. Administrator O’Keefe said he would continue to seek Committee and Congressional support for full funding of the President’s 2005 budget as the appropriations process continues.

The entire letter may be found on the Internet at:

http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/62799main_072204_young_letter.pdf

Original Source: NASA News Release

President Bush’s new space initiative received a major setback this week when the members of a House appropriations subcommittee passed a tentative budget that would fund only a fraction of the President’s new plans. The panel suggested that NASA should receive $15.1 billion next year, which is a drop of $229 million from last year (NASA was actually hoping for a 5.6% increase). Development of the new Crew Exploration Vehicle would be delayed, and funding would be cut to Project Prometheus – a new nuclear propulsion technology. This isn’t a final approved budget, however, as there are many more steps for the final decision is made.

In the latest of what will be ongoing briefings, Administrator Sean O’Keefe today announced a transformation of NASA’s organization structure designed to streamline the agency and position it to better implement the Vision for Space Exploration.

In a report released last week, the President’s Commission on Implementation of U.S. Space Exploration Policy found, “NASA needs to transform itself into a leaner, more focused agency by developing an organizational structure that recognizes the need for a more integrated approach to science requirements, management, and implementation of systems development and exploration missions.”

“Our task is to align Headquarters to eliminate the ‘stove pipes,’ promote synergy across the agency, and support the long-term exploration vision in a way that is sustainable and affordable,” said Administrator O’Keefe. “We need to take these critical steps to streamline the organization and create a structure that affixes clear authority and accountability.”

This transformation fundamentally restructures NASA’s Strategic Enterprises into Mission Directorates to better align with the Vision. It also restructures Headquarters support functions and clarifies organizational roles and responsibilities. The Mission Directorate organizational structure includes:

* Aeronautics Research: Research and develop aeronautical technologies for safe, reliable and efficient aviation systems

* Science: Carry out the scientific exploration of the Earth, Moon, Mars and beyond; chart the best route of discovery; and reap the benefits of Earth and space exploration for society. A combined organization is best able to establish an understanding of the Earth, other planets and their evolution, bring the lessons of our study of Earth to the exploration of the Solar System, and to assure the discoveries made here will enhance our work there

* Exploration Systems: Develops capabilities and supporting research and technology that enable sustained and affordable human and robotic exploration; includes the biological and physical research necessary to ensure the health and safety of crew during long duration space flight

* Space Operations: Direct space flight operations, space launches and space communications, as well as the operation of integrated systems in low-Earth orbit and beyond

Two agency-wide priorities will continue with direct responsibility for all related activities across NASA.

* Safety and Mission Assurance Officer: Reports directly to the Administrator and reflects NASA’s commitment to provide a clear and direct line to agency senior leadership for issues regarding safety

* Chief Education Officer: Directs the agency’s important work to improve scientific and technological literacy and inspire a new generation of explorers

NASA functional offices will be restructured as Mission Support Offices. Headquarters and field center offices will be aligned to improve communications and responsibility.

The major Mission Support Offices are:

* Chief Financial Officer (CFO): Conducts all financial matters, including procurement and small and disadvantaged business activities. All field center financial officers report directly to the Headquarters CFO to better address critical financial issues

* Associate Administrator for Institutions and Management: Responsible for providing operational and management support for Headquarters; directs a full range of activities relating to personnel and institutional management across the agency

* Chief Information Officer: Responsible for the development of an integrated focus on information resource management strategies, policies and practices

* Chief Engineer: Ensures the development efforts and missions operations are being planned and conducted on a sound engineering basis; assures independent technical authority within the agency’s engineering, operations and safety organizations

* Chief of Strategic Communications: Directs NASA’s communication efforts in Public Affairs, Legislative Affairs and External Relations; responsible for internal communications management

* General Counsel: Responsible for the legal aspects of all NASA’s activities; manages the agency’s intellectual property and ethics programs

To improve the decision-making process, NASA will create:

* Strategic Planning Council: Chaired by the NASA Administrator, the Council develops multi-year strategic plans, strategic roadmaps, and a multi-year detailed plan that forms the basis for policies and budgets

* Director of Advanced Planning: Responsible for the preparation of options, studies and assessments for the Strategic Planning Council

* Chief Operating Officer Council: Chaired by the Deputy Administrator, implements direction provided by the Strategic Planning Council and develops standard administrative practices to build on the President’s Management Agenda

The Associate Deputy Administrator for Systems Integration is responsible for strategic and systems integration across Mission Directorates and mission support functions

The agency will also redefine its relationships with the NASA Field Centers by developing clear and straightforward lines of responsibility and accountability. Specific Mission Associate Administrators will be assigned as Headquarters Center Executives. They will have oversight of field center performance in implementing agency policies and programs. The Associate Administrator for Institutions and Management will address field center infrastructure concerns.

The changes outlined today become effective August 1, 2004. They represent the next step in implementing the recommendations of the President’s Commission on Implementation of U.S. Space Exploration Policy and reflect NASA’s ongoing efforts to apply the findings and recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board across the agency.

Over the next several weeks, the Administrator will engage teams in each NASA location to provide front line guidance on implementing their early stages of the transformation plan. The discussions will be the precursor for a renewed commitment to mission success and excellence in an employee-centric organization.

“This transformation will be an evolutionary process, exploring new ways to move forward and implement change. We’ll also be engaging other government agencies, industry, academia and the international community to assist us in developing the tools and processes we need to successfully advance the Vision for Space Exploration,” added Administrator O’Keefe. “Doing so will enable us to take the next bold steps into space and rekindle the innovation and entrepreneurial skills that is our legacy to humankind.”

Additional presentation information and a new NASA organization chart is available on the Internet at:

http://www.nasa.gov/formedia

Original Source: NASA News Release

Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) and Ranking Minority Member Bart Gordon (D-TN) today released a General Accounting Office (GAO) study they had requested titled, ?NASA: Lack of Disciplined Cost-Estimating Processes Hinders Effective Program Management.?

GAO concluded that ?NASA lacks a clear understanding of how much programs will cost and how long they will take to achieve their objectives?.NASA?s basic cost-estimating processes?lack the discipline needed to ensure that program estimates are reasonable.? As part of the study, GAO reviewed 27 programs, 10 of them in-depth.

In a response included in the appendix to the GAO report, NASA ?concur[red]? with the recommendations in the report and listed steps the agency has underway to implement them. The recommendations include having NASA develop ?an integrated plan for improving cost estimating? and establishing ?a standard framework for developing life-cycle cost estimates.? The GAO report elaborates on those recommendations in some detail.

Boehlert said, ?This is something that started out as a ?bad news? story that appears to be heading for a happy ending. The report lays out in detail the problems that have repeatedly plagued NASA?s cost estimating over many years. Congress needs to be aware of these problems when evaluating NASA?s proposals. But NASA does have concrete steps underway to improve the situation, for which Administrator O?Keefe should be congratulated. GAO has told us that those steps will go a long way toward solving the problem. And there?s some indication that those steps are beginning to bear fruit. The newest program that GAO examined, the cockpit avionics upgrade, also was the one with the best performance, although GAO still had some concerns with it. So there?s cause for optimism. Our Committee?s job will be to ensure that NASA continues to implement the steps it has outlined fully, carefully and as speedily as possible.?

?The GAO report?s findings, when coupled with NASA?s failure to pass an independent financial audit for the past three years running, suggest that NASA needs to get its financial house in order,? Gordon said.

Original Source: House Committee on Science News Release

NASA’s Centennial Challenges program will feature prominent speakers and panelists during its inaugural workshop, June 15 and 16, at the Hilton Hotel, Washington.

Centennial Challenges is a new NASA prize competition program designed to tap the nation’s ingenuity to make revolutionary advances to support the Vision for Space Exploration and NASA goals. The 2004 Centennial Challenges Workshop is also an opportunity for potential participants to provide input to NASA about future competitions.

Featured speakers:

Senator Sam Brownback, R-Kan., Chairman, Commerce Subcommittee on Science,
Technology, and Space

Dr. John H. Marburger III, Director, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

Edward C. “Pete” Aldridge, Chairman, President’s Commission on Moon, Mars and
Beyond

Elon Musk, CEO and CTO, Space Exploration Technologies Corporation

Panels include:

Financing Prize Competitors
The panel will provide tutorials on various fundraising sources for potential Centennial Challenge competitors. Panelists: Jay Coleman, Founder and President of Electronic Marketing and Communications International Ltd.; Monty Deel, President of GST Protocol Services; Frank DiBello, President and CEO of Florida’s Space Finance Corporation; and Marco Rubin, Managing Partner of Exoventure Associates, LLC.

Past, Present, and Future Prize Competitions
The panel will provide a broad perspective on prize competitions, including early 20th century aviation prizes, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Grand Challenge, and the privately funded Ansari X PRIZE and future X PRIZE Cup. Panelists: Eric Lindbergh, Vice President of the X PRIZE Foundation and grandson of aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh; Air Force Colonel Jose Negron, Program Manager for the DARPA Grand Challenge; and Peter Diamandis, Chairman of the X PRIZE Foundation.

Launch Vehicles for Spacecraft Prize Competitions
The panel will provide an overview of existing and emergent launch vehicle capabilities for potential competitors in Centennial Challenges spacecraft competitions. Panel presenters: Kistler Aerospace Corporation; Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (Space-X); and XCOR Aerospace.

NASA invites interested individuals and organizations to attend the 2004 Centennial Challenges Workshop. For agenda and registration information on the Internet, visit:
http://centennialchallenges.nasa.gov/workshop.htm

NASA plans to have annual Centennial Challenges workshops. For information about the program on the Internet, visit:
http://centennialchallenges.nasa.gov

For information about NASA and agency programs on the Internet, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov

Original Source: NASA News Release

Image credit: NASA
Eleven new astronaut candidates are joining the ranks of space explorers. NASA introduced the new class during a Space Day celebration today at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. The class of 2004 will be the first focused from the very beginning on realizing the new Vision for Space Exploration.

NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe called members of the new astronaut class, “our next generation of explorers, who’ll help blaze a galactic trail through the solar system.

“We are indeed living in an age of heroic potential, as we move forward in the Solar System to explore mysterious new worlds, make important new discoveries and help to expand the sense of possibility for all humans on his planet,” O’Keefe said.

Former Astronaut and U.S. Sen. John Glenn, who introduced O’Keefe, looked back, and ahead. “How far we’ve come in the past few years,” he said, “how far we yet have to go, and how much we have yet to learn. I’m envious of the young people just coming into the space program now for the opportunities that they have.”

The class includes pilots, mission specialists (MS) and three new mission specialist-educator (MS-E) astronauts, teachers who will help ensure there’s always a next generation primed to explore.

The astronaut candidates:

# Mission Specialist-Educator Joe Acaba: A 36-year-old teacher at Dunnellon Middle School in Florida and a former Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic.

# Mission Specialist-Educator Ricky Arnold: A 40-year-old math and science teacher at the American International School of Bucharest, Romania; he’s also taught in Morocco, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia.

# Pilot Randy Bresnik: A 36-year-old Marine Corps major, F/A-18 pilot and experimental test pilot who’s getting married this month in a Scottish castle.

# Mission Specialist Chris Cassidy: A 34-year old Navy Seal who has done two tours of duty in Afghanistan.

# Pilot Jim Dutton: A 35-year-old U.S. Air Force major and F/A-22 test pilot who flew combat air patrols over northern Iraq in the 1990s.

# Mission Specialist Jose Hernandez: A 41-year-old engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston; grew up as a migrant farm worker before settling in Stockton, Calif.

# Mission Specialist Shane Kimbrough : A 36-year-old U.S. Army major and flight simulation engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston; served as a platoon leader in an Apache helicopter company during Desert Storm.

# Mission Specialist Tom Marshburn: A 43-year-old flight surgeon at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston; also an avid mountain climber and a private pilot.

# Mission Specialist-Educator Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger: A 29-year-old science teacher at Hudson’s Bay High School in Vancouver, Wash.; she was a championship runner in college.

# Mission Specialist Bobby Satcher Jr.: A 38-year-old M.D. and orthopedic surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago; he’s done charity medical work overseas.

# Mission Specialist Shannon Walker: A 38-year-old Ph.D and manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston; she’s lived and worked in Russia, and is an avid private pilot.

After their formal introduction, the new astronaut candidates joined students from NASA’s Earth Crew at an afternoon webcast from NASA Headquarters. The kids introduced the class and showered them with cheers and confetti.

Also at that event, NASA’s Deputy Administrator Fred Gregory read a special Space Day message from President Bush, congratulating the class and praising “America’s spirit of discovery and innovation.”

The candidates will report to NASA’s Johnson Space Center this summer. Once settled in Houston, they will begin the intensive training. Initially, they will undergo land survival training, T-38 jet ground and flight training, Shuttle orbiter systems training, Space Station systems training, science and engineering briefings, and orientation tours at all NASA centers, including the Kennedy Space Center and Marshall Space Flight Center.

“These are the men and women who will help us ‘extend life to there,'” Readdy said. “Naming this new class is an important next step in our exploration goals.”

“Right now, tomorrow’s space explorers are seated in America’s classrooms. As NASA carries out the vision for space exploration, the Education Enterprise remains committed to working closely with our nation’s schools, fostering learning environments that will stimulate students to participate in the journey to go to the Moon, Mars and beyond,” said Dr. Adena Loston, NASA’s Associate Administrator for Education.

Original Source: NASA News Release

The NASA program that offers cash prizes for the development of new capabilities to help meet the agency’s exploration and program goals is conducting its first workshop June 15-16 at the Hilton Hotel, Washington.

Centennial Challenges is a novel program of challenges, competitions, and prizes. NASA plans to tap the innovative talents of the nation to make revolutionary, breakthrough advances to support Vision for Space Exploration and other NASA priorities.

“Centennial Challenges is a small but potentially high-leverage investment by NASA to help address some of our most difficult hurdles in research and exploration,” said NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe. “I look forward to stimulating competitions and very innovative wins that advance the nation’s Vision for Space Exploration,” he added.

The goal of Centennial Challenges is to stimulate innovation in fundamental technologies, robotic capabilities, and very low-cost space missions by establishing prize purses for specific achievements in technical areas of interest to NASA. By making awards based on achievements, not proposals, NASA hopes to bring innovative solutions from academia, industry, and the public to bear on solar system exploration and other technical challenges.

“From 18th century seafaring, early 20th century aviation to today’s private sector space flight, prizes have played a key role in spurring new achievements in science, technology, engineering, and exploration,” said Craig Steidle, NASA’s Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems. “The Centennial Challenges Program is modeled on the successful history of past prize contests, and I am proud the Office of Exploration Systems is shepherding this path-finding program for NASA,” he added.

“This workshop will help NASA develop challenges that are of high value to the agency,” said Brant Sponberg, Centennial Challenges Program Manager. “The workshop also will provide input into what challenges NASA announces this year and next year and what the rules for those competitions will be. It should be an invigorating way to lay the groundwork for this exciting program,” he said.

NASA invites individuals and organizations interested in competing to attend the 2004 Centennial Challenges Workshop. The agenda and registration information for the workshop is available on the Internet at:

http://www.tisconferences.com/nasa_centennial/

NASA plans annual Centennial Challenges workshops. For information about the program on the Internet, visit:

centennialchallenges.nasa.gov

Original Source: NASA News Release

Image credit: NASA
NASA has set Saturday, March 27, for the flight of its experimental X-43A research vehicle. The unpiloted 12-foot-long vehicle, part aircraft and part spacecraft, will be dropped from the wing of a B-52 aircraft, boosted to nearly 100,000 feet by a booster rocket and released over the Pacific Ocean to briefly fly under its own power at seven times the speed of sound, almost 5,000 mph.

The flight is part of the Hyper-X program, a research effort designed to demonstrate alternate propulsion technologies for access to space and high-speed flight within the atmosphere. It will provide unique “first time” free flight data on hypersonic air-breathing engine technologies that have large potential pay-offs.

Hyper-X is inherently a high-risk program. No vehicle has ever flown at hypersonic speeds powered by an air-breathing scramjet engine. In addition, the rocket boost and subsequent separation from the rocket to get to the scramjet test condition have complex elements that must work properly for the mission to be successful.

The $250 million program began with conceptual design and scramjet engine wind tunnel work in 1996. In a scramjet (supersonic-combustion ramjet), the flow of air through the engine remains supersonic, or greater than the speed of sound, for optimum engine efficiency and vehicle speed. There are few or no moving parts, but achieving proper ignition and combustion in a matter of milliseconds proved to be an engineering challenge of the highest order. After a series of successful wind tunnel tests, however, NASA is ready to prove that air-breathing scramjets work in flight.

This will mark the first time a non-rocket, air-breathing scramjet engine has powered a vehicle in flight at hypersonic speeds, defined as speeds above Mach 5 or five times the speed of sound.

Researchers believe these technologies may someday offer more airplane-like operations and other benefits compared to traditional rocket systems. Rockets provide limited throttle control and must carry heavy tanks filled with liquid oxygen, necessary for combustion of fuel. An air-breathing engine, like that on the X-43A, scoops oxygen from the air as it flies. The weight savings could be used to increase payload capacity, increase range or reduce vehicle size for the same payload.

The X-43A will fly in the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division Sea Range over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of southern California.

After booster burnout, the 2,800-pound, wedge-shaped research vehicle will separate and fly on its own to perform a preprogrammed set of tasks. After an approximate ten second test firing of the engine, the X-43A will glide through the atmosphere conducting a series of aerodynamic maneuvers for up to six minutes on its way to splashdown.

This will be the second flight in the X-43A project. On June 2, 2001, the first X-43A vehicle was lost moments after release from the wing of the B-52. Following booster ignition, the combined booster and X-43A vehicle deviated from its flight path and was deliberately destroyed. Investigation into the mishap showed that there was no single contributing factor, but the root cause of the problem was identified as the control system of the booster.

For this flight, the B-52 will carry the booster with the attached X-43A to at least 40,000 feet before its release, versus the 24,000 feet of the first attempt. The booster will carry the X-43A research vehicle to approximately the same test conditions — altitude and speed — as planned for the first flight.

NASA’s Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., and Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., jointly conduct the Hyper-X program.

A video clip, images and additional information about the project are available on the Internet at:

http://www.nasa.gov/missions/research/x43-main.html

NASA Television will carry the flight and the post-flight news briefing live. NASA TV is available on AMC 9, TRANSPONDER 9C, 85 degrees west longitude, vertical polarization with a frequency of 3880 MHz and audio of 6.8 MHz.

Original Source: NASA News Release