Comments on: Hypersonic Test Flights Set

By: quellish

quellish — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:22:56 +0000

Kind of odd that all the stories on the program show only HTV-1, which was cancelled, and not HTV-2 even though that is what is going to fly.

By: Nick

Nick — Fri, 02 May 2008 16:45:19 +0000

As an engineering student with not just a passionate, vested interest but a career interest, in fact goal, I truly hope there is much more going on than has been exposed since the 70s, I remember reading about Air Force programs, in the 80s I believe it was, to develop a two stage LEO space craft, it was claimed at the time though that the technological capabilities did not exist, a story I’ve had trouble believing ever since we made it to the moon in the 9 years in the 60s. There are always whispers here and there of amazing things going on in the deserts of the southwest, I hope there is more going on than we are aware of. It always seemed odd we never tried to go faster than the SR-71, I really hope we have, though I’m not sure it’s possible with out ram/scramjet engines, which are still experiencing hiccups today. chris, I hope you’re right or know something we don’t, otherwise my lack of faith in the AF and NASA is well founded.

By: chris franklin

chris franklin — Fri, 02 May 2008 02:09:06 +0000

Nick, the U.S. Air Force has you and everybody else covered. Were just not supposed to know about it yet.

By: stephen russell

stephen russell — Fri, 02 May 2008 00:49:50 +0000

Dont forget the A2 H2 SST from Reaction engines UK–
Yes a Hydrogen fuelled SST.
Add this to the HST mix alone.
BUT Get em Built.
Hate those 15 hour flights to Sydney at subsonic speeds. Boring.

By: Nick

Nick — Thu, 01 May 2008 18:57:43 +0000

chris, if you’re referring to the SR-71 (mach 3+), it has been around since the 60’s. You also seem to be sure that the Air Force has its own space program that has a multi-stage vehicle capable of LEO, which I’m guessing is similar to Scaled Composite’s Spaceship 1 & 2? I could only hope such a thing were true, seeing as what an utter failure both NASA and the Air Force have been in developing space technologies and assets as well as hypersonic capabilities, though research is being done, it seems like after the 70s we became complacent with the aerospace capabilities we had, which is very disappointing.

By: Allen Thomson

Allen Thomson — Thu, 01 May 2008 17:15:59 +0000

Isn’t this an accuracy MaRV rather than a self-propelled hypersonic vehicle? Doubtless good for prompt global nonnuclear strike.

By: 111

111 — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:04:10 +0000

don’t forget the stardust. Toss out the ceramics innards! Also the HHo fuel additive for higher heat verses acelyte. Also if the micro holes do not work in the stardust innards, use the nanotubes.

By: 111

111 — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:00:59 +0000

I think the hypersonics will be a + feature. Imagine google versus yahoo or msn, or aol. It is like day and night when we are talking hypersonic speeds. It will be like this, “firing” … “target hit!“
The … dots represent a millisecond pause while the dart locks on and fires. I am curoius to see if sams or rader will be even able to detect it. If not, we have a newer force to be reckoned with that can smite any location at the push of a button with precision if fins are added in right areas. Or we could use the tri-blended metal to bend the frame in midflight. If plasma stages occur on the outer frame we would definitely have enogh thermal energies to bend the metal frame if necesary. Toss out hydroulics or cables for guidance. What does that mean, it is lighter weight! Send me some pics when it clsoer to up and running.

By: chris franklin

chris franklin — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:58:10 +0000

We’ve had hypersonic, stealth spyplanes for the nearly the last 20 years and the U.S. Air Force is stealthily running its own space program — a two stage craft with a piloted “mothership” releasing a smaller piloted space-craft operating in LEO.
You don’t need to be in a foreign intelligence service to deduce the aforementioned.
Any hyperconic proof-of-concept demo is an effort to justify a large, publicly-acknowledgable congressional appropriation for a hypersonic program. It certainly isn’t an effort to merely justify the funding of investigations to see if hypersonic craft are possible

By: Ger

Ger — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:10:02 +0000

I guess I’m picky too. “The proof of the pudding is in the eating” would fit in that the eating or tasting would be the final step as is the testing of the vehicles.
Love your website