Hard Light Productions Forums
Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: beatspete on March 28, 2004, 05:48:21 am
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http://www.nasa.gov/missions/research/x43_soars_feature.html
Nice one. Finally a good use of America's wealth. :yes:
With this sort of technology implamented, Europe to Australia flights would take 3 hours.
edit: woosh!
(http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Photo/X-43A/Small/EC04-0092-32.jpg)
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now, in the future, i can see australians making day-trips to the US or somesuch.. pretty cool tech.
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Could've sworn scramjets were around a couple of years back... still I suppose at least they've publicised this one.
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Aren't V-Wings propelled by scramjets?
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Kalfireth[/i] - Scramjets were supposedly used in the mystery-"Aurora" fighter, a recon plane that could reach Mach 6. I'm not sure it was a piloted plane, though, there's no telling how much Gs the engine would create if kickstarted. IIRC, the maximum the human body can survive is somewhere close to 9G (and the closest people came to experiencing that was the Cobra maneuver).
Petrarch[/i] - The subsytem under the cockpit does look like a scramjet, but as far as I know they still work as repulsors (like speeder variants).
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Standby while I consult The Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels...
Yup, scramjets alright.
And about the Aurora, here's a nice bullsight conspiracy site.
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/pages/aurora.html
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3575561.stm
BBC story.
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God damn you all for beating me to it
In any case, I must try to find one of these for X-Plane. The Aurora was... fast, to say the least. I flew it half way round the globe on one tank of fuel before crashing it :)
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I thought the Aurora was power by PulseDet engines.
OnTopic:
This was the first scramjet test that was 100% successful, previous tests were not.
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Yeah, I heard some issues about Pulse drives as well, but I think the aurora hype was based around the scramjet since the little craft that just broke the speed record ressembles it so much. However, No doubt in some shifty little secret airfield they're testing it out.
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Originally posted by Dark_4ce
Yeah, I heard some issues about Pulse drives as well, but I think the aurora hype was based around the scramjet since the little craft that just broke the speed record ressembles it so much. However, No doubt in some shifty little secret airfield they're testing it out.
If they are testing it out at some shifty little secret airfield, I would say Area51, the runway there is large enough for just about anything to take off and land.
But ofcourse, it could be just about anywhere else..
there is an extreme secretiveness around Area51, makes you kinda wonder what they are actually hiding there.
I know I would give quite a bit to know...
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Originally posted by Zuljin
there is an extreme secretiveness around Area51, makes you kinda wonder what they are actually hiding there.
I know I would give quite a bit to know...
Probably nothing.
If they have any sense they don't keep anything secret there at all. They simply put on a light show every once in a while and let the dumb masses go on about UFO's and alien research while quietly getting on with something far more shifty elsewhere.
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I always laugh at the Area 51 -freaks, who genuinely believe they have some weird-ass UFO techs hidden there.
Gee, the country with by far biggest military budget and extreme technological superiority over other countries of the world is developing new reconnaissance and fighter craft technologies and don't want everyone to have a look!! That must be UFO military-industrial complex conspiracy! All the black airplanes I see must be TOP SECRET NO-NO DOES NOT EXIST IS NOT BUILT BY ALIENS stuff!!
:rolleyes: :lol:
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Originally posted by karajorma
Probably nothing.
If they have any sense they don't keep anything secret there at all. They simply put on a light show every once in a while and let the dumb masses go on about UFO's and alien research while quietly getting on with something far more shifty elsewhere.
That is the most likely assumption.
But still, I'm just too curious for my own good so I will keep wondering :D
But using is to draw attention away from...something else, is by far the most likely that is going on.
Janos:
most of that stuff is mostly simple things gone WAY out of hand.
A feather made into 5 hens.
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you all do know that there is an area 51, though, right?
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Groom Lake Testing Facility, Groom Lake, Nevada.
The only way in is by Government Charter Flight out of Las Vegas. Try to get in on foot, you will be shot on sight and your family will never know what happened.
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Originally posted by Bobboau
you all do know that there is an area 51, though, right?
My guess is it's just a place for chemical/biological weapons testing that would no doubt break several dozen international agreements.
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Groom Lake is where they developed and operated the U-2 and SR-71, right?
Hey, notice how this scramjet thingy looks kinda like a white version of the X-1? Maybe someone at NASA has a thing for retro x-craft :D
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Originally posted by Liberator
Groom Lake Testing Facility, Groom Lake, Nevada.
The only way in is by Government Charter Flight out of Las Vegas. Try to get in on foot, you will be shot on sight and your family will never know what happened.
There are signs around the whole area that say more or less that constitunional rights does not apply beyond this point etc.
It also contains motion detectors around the whole area too if we are to believe what is said.
If you approach the area by air you will be warned that if you do not turn around you will be shot down.
No one in the US government is even willing to confirm that is exists....even though just about everyone knows of Area51.
Wether it actually is a decoy or actually is a testing site for various secret technologies, I doubt we will ever know :p
diamondgeezer: yeah, they developed and tested both the U-2 and the SR-71 at Groom Lake (or Area51 if you prefer).
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Originally posted by Zuljin
There are signs around the whole area that say more or less that constitunional rights does not apply beyond this point etc.
It also contains motion detectors around the whole area too if we are to believe what is said.
If you approach the area by air you will be warned that if you do not turn around you will be shot down.
No one in the US government is even willing to confirm that is exists....even though just about everyone knows of Area51.
Wether it actually is a decoy or actually is a testing site for various secret technologies, I doubt we will ever know :p
diamondgeezer: yeah, they developed and tested both the U-2 and the SR-71 at Groom Lake (or Area51 if you prefer).
actually, groom lake would be a logical choice of aircraft testing, 'cause of the salt-lake which the base is situated in front of.
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Originally posted by Turnsky
actually, groom lake would be a logical choice of aircraft testing, 'cause of the salt-lake which the base is situated in front of.
Yes, the extremely long runway and the many hangar buildings around the base also supports that theory.
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Originally posted by Zuljin
Yes, the extremely long runway and the many hangar buildings around the base also supports that theory.
uhm, i was referring to /before/ they built the place.:rolleyes:
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Originally posted by Turnsky
uhm, i was referring to /before/ they built the place.:rolleyes:
*slaps self*
doh.
forget that last post, I kinda misread your post, it's almost 3am my vision is getting slightly blurred :p
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It's been there since the fifties though.
Although of late the facility has grown quite a bit, they've lengthened the primary runway, added two more and built at least three new buildings.
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I don't think they use it for anything realy top secret any more, too many spectators, it lacks one thing that all secret basses need to function properly, secrecy, everyone knows about it.
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I think I remember hearing about the employees suing the government. Something about gases released by burning wrecked airplane parts causing lung cancer or something.
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Originally posted by Bobboau
I don't think they use it for anything realy top secret any more, too many spectators, it lacks one thing that all secret basses need to function properly, secrecy, everyone knows about it.
It also lacks a giant roof so spy satellites can't have an eyefull :p
I'm sure there's nothing there anymore. I'd vote for some place hidden in Alaska, where nobody would think of searching, rather than a place which every darn country in the world has the exacts coordinates of :p.
You just don't place your most secret stuff in the most hyped place about super secret stuffs :p
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:lol:
What I really don't get is why the yanks think they need all this stuff. There's nobody else left to compete with. The Russians are a joke, the Chinese couldn't afford it, and nobody else can be bothered to try and arms-race them. What's it all for?
I mean, yeah, scramjets mean you can go wicked-fast, but the expense of building aircraft that can take the stresses of that kind of speed would mean they'd never be commercially viable.
Originally posted by Stealth[cro]
Kalfireth[/i]IIRC, the maximum the human body can survive is somewhere close to 9G
Nah. You can get up to nearly 20G when you fire your ejector seat, apparently. 9 - 10G is about as high as people can go without blacking out. High-speed turns can get you to that. :)
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Originally posted by pyro-manic
:lol:
What I really don't get is why the yanks think they need all this stuff. There's nobody else left to compete with. The Russians are a joke, the Chinese couldn't afford it, and nobody else can be bothered to try and arms-race them.
We're American, it's because we can :D
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Originally posted by pyro-manic
:lol:
What I really don't get is why the yanks think they need all this stuff. There's nobody else left to compete with. The Russians are a joke, the Chinese couldn't afford it, and nobody else can be bothered to try and arms-race them. What's it all for?
I mean, yeah, scramjets mean you can go wicked-fast, but the expense of building aircraft that can take the stresses of that kind of speed would mean they'd never be commercially viable.
Nah. You can get up to nearly 20G when you fire your ejector seat, apparently. 9 - 10G is about as high as people can go without blacking out. High-speed turns can get you to that. :)
Atome bombs? Sure only America had them....for a while.
...and it apparently didn't take as much of extreme technology as one would think. It was more of an issue of brainpower and smart solutions.
A simple scientific breakthrough in some field of science - and don't give me any of that you need super projects with lots of money theme - could lead to a revolutionary new military application.
What if there was a way to completely black-out radars? What if you could actually do HALO jumps and put agents into someone's country without anyone noticing? What if beam weapons are possible when using the correct wavelenght..ect.ect.
This is just sci-fi fantasies so far, but science is far from being as all-powerful or all-knowing as we assume it to be.
As for the mega-project thing: yeah, sure for particle accelerators and fusion powerplants you need a load of money.
But - and this is an important but IMHO - not all projects fall into that category.
The American initiative to do all this research is justified and will be hopefully beneficial for the whole of mankind, whoever their tendency to form Manhatten projects out of every development could be more of a hindrance in most cases then a benefit.
After all the scientists worldwide who worked on Manhatten have spent the rest of their life in a free interchanging environment and also had geniouses like Oppenheimer, Teller or Einstein to bakc them up.
Without the "preparatory" Golden Age of Physics Los Alamos wouldn't have been a percent as sucessfull as it turned out to be.
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Originally posted by pyro-manic
:lol:
What I really don't get is why the yanks think they need all this stuff. There's nobody else left to compete with. The Russians are a joke, the Chinese couldn't afford it, and nobody else can be bothered to try and arms-race them. What's it all for?
Well, let's see... Ching-kuo keeps churning out new jets 24/7 (how they rebuilt those old MiG-21s into such modern jets is beyond me :wtf: ) and Russia definitely isn't as backward as most people think these days - the Su-37 Terminator has better thrust-vectoring than the F-22A and a better passive stealth mechanism, the Su-47 Berkut is the only available swept-forth wing fighter (and pretty damn good at it), and finally, they are the only one to produce a fully operational supersonic VTOL jet (the Yak-141 Freestyle), which even supercedes the Harrier in some aspects (plus the speed factor, of course). Hell, if it didn't bog down to finances (which might not become a problem as xCCCP and China export most of their war machines), the US of A would have a LOT to worry about.
< / :hopping: >
Nah. You can get up to nearly 20G when you fire your ejector seat, apparently. 9 - 10G is about as high as people can go without blacking out. High-speed turns can get you to that. :)
I don't think ejector seats reach that high Gs, otherwise, pilots would be in one big trouble if they performed a zero-alt-zero-speed (0/0) jump - they wouldn't have enough time to react before they turned flat. :rolleyes:
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12G is the top... above that you're dead...
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It depends on the time scale you're talking about. Can't remember if it's worse going slowly up to high Gs or up to high Gs for quick bursts though.
Anyway, the more significant thing (for commercial purposes) is the other test the US Navy did. They nearly managed to suppress the sonic boom from a jet. If they can fully remove the sonic boom, that means that the FAA will allow US jets to move at supersonic speeds.
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Originally posted by diamondgeezer
Hey, notice how this scramjet thingy looks kinda like a white version of the X-1? Maybe someone at NASA has a thing for retro x-craft :D
(A little late, I know)
DG, you know that's the booster rocket, right? The actual "plane" is the little needle on the front end.
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Conspiracy theorist
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What's the difference between a scramjet and a ramjet anyway?
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A scramjet is a ramjet in which the conbustion of the fuel takes place while the airflow is still supersonic through the engine. They can't be used to get themselves up to speed, thus the booster rocket.
Oh, yeah, and they go fast. Really, really fast. I'm pretty sure it's one of those engines that (if placed into an aircraft with a suitable airframe) can actually have a thrust/drag ratio that increases with speed to a point. The Mach 7 that this thing went are the tip of the iceburg when it comes to how fast the engine can go.
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Originally posted by karajorma
Probably nothing.
If they have any sense they don't keep anything secret there at all. They simply put on a light show every once in a while and let the dumb masses go on about UFO's and alien research while quietly getting on with something far more shifty elsewhere.
If I were gonna hide something, I'd hide it in Area 50, not Area 51, cause everyone already knows about 51 :D
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Where is area 1 by the way? :blah:
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If past experience is anything to go by, it's in down town New York City - America.
Everything else is.
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My local kebab house isn't, thank God
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I was thinking if the designation exists, it is probably applied to the Capitol/White House/Mall area, the Pentagon, or both. That would make the most sense, anyway.
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Originally posted by StratComm
A scramjet is a ramjet in which the conbustion of the fuel takes place while the airflow is still supersonic through the engine. They can't be used to get themselves up to speed, thus the booster rocket.
Oh, yeah, and they go fast. Really, really fast. I'm pretty sure it's one of those engines that (if placed into an aircraft with a suitable airframe) can actually have a thrust/drag ratio that increases with speed to a point. The Mach 7 that this thing went are the tip of the iceburg when it comes to how fast the engine can go.
The problem is how you're gona manage air friction - you could go high enough to reduce it - but the thrust would decrease as well, so figures....though the russians seemed to know a trick or two in this field.
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Something about a spike... kinda like an aerospike thingy but with a magnetic field or some **** to shockwave the air around the vehicle, IIRC
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The russians also almost had nuclear fusion, which would kick some real butts if well employed...
BTW, do you still think that tech wins all wars?
Vietnam for US, Afghanistan for Russia, and now afghanistan2 and iraq2 shows that it's not exactly true...
In fact, local popular support is the most determining factor...
You can win all the battles and still loose the war...
Guerrilla Tactics rules!
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You misunderstand how the US lost in Vietnam. Two years in, under MacArthur's leadership, the US Army has the VC and Chinese pushed out of the country into Laos and Cambodia. The &*&&*& politicians then forced him to stay out of those countries instead of hunting them down like the animals they were. This allowed the Chinese to arm and train the VC into a proper Guerilla army and was eventually what led to the US defeat and the loss of so many American lives. Politicians may start wars but they need to stay the hell out once it comes time to actually fight them and let the military do it's job.
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Hmm... I never heard this version of the story...
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hunting them down like the animals they were.
Define racism. :wtf:
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Guys please stop now.
Firstly - we've had enough political threads lately to last a lifetime.
Secondly - this is not the point of the thread, talk about tech by all means, perhaps the useful applications of these high speed planes and what have you. But leave politics out of it... it's not necessary.
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Sorry, either way, is there anything new about this engine that could have an effect in future space travels?
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Not in space travels but maybe in the new trans atmosphere transportation business...
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No worries,
And I don't think there's an application in space travels - but certainly in travel around the world there's an obvious application, both military and commercial. I'm not sure about the fuel use mind you... chances are those things don't come cheap - and they're nowhere near developed enough to use as they are.
But who knows, in time it could be possible to take this technology and refine it into something more plausable. I fail to believe that Concorde is the fastest way to get civilians from one side of the planet to the other.
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Teleportation has been done with a photon... :p
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One of these decades we will have a TRON like system, our whole self would be digitized and transferred to the desired place...
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Let's hope by then anti-virus will be much better than they are now!! :p :D
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I'm afraid I still adapt a Bones McCoy approach to teleportation - as in I'd rather it happened to someone else first, then me :p
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I fully agree with you Kalfireth :p
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You realise that in the series he was always using the teleporter and in the movies he was "forced" to join with the rest of the crew via it. :D It could still happen to you, either you wanted it or not, which leaves some ethical questions...
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Originally posted by Kalfireth
No worries,
And I don't think there's an application in space travels - but certainly in travel around the world there's an obvious application, both military and commercial. I'm not sure about the fuel use mind you... chances are those things don't come cheap - and they're nowhere near developed enough to use as they are.
But who knows, in time it could be possible to take this technology and refine it into something more plausable. I fail to believe that Concorde is the fastest way to get civilians from one side of the planet to the other.
IIRC the space application is simply for getting into orbit - i.e. replacing solid-fuel rocket boosters.
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They need standard rockets/jets to get it up to operational speed/height though - don't they?
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Originally posted by Kalfireth
They need standard rockets/jets to get it up to operational speed/height though - don't they?
Um.... well, based on vague memory and this document - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3575561.stm - the advantage of a scramjet is that it doesn't need to carry an oxygen source. i.e. saving weight.
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Possibly as a booster ofr stuff like Space Ship One, but that uses a 'basic' ramjet AFAIK. Scrams would be used for sub-orbital atmospheric stuff
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Scramjet to orbit, ion-drive in space?
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Conventional jets to get to altitude
Scrams for cruising
Rockets for Orbital Insertion
Ion Drive for spacial manuvering
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Watch out, Burt
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Originally posted by Kalfireth
But who knows, in time it could be possible to take this technology and refine it into something more plausable. I fail to believe that Concorde is the fastest way to get civilians from one side of the planet to the other.
British Aerospace planned a plane with a hybrid rocket/air engine called HOTOL a while back. Apparently this thing could make it to Australia from the UK in 30 minutes.
No one was willing to put any money into the idea :rolleyes:
And people wonder why engineers and scientists train in the UK but work abroad! :mad:
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Originally posted by Kalfireth
I fail to believe that Concorde is the fastest way to get civilians from one side of the planet to the other.
Well, you're right: it's something slower, coz the concorde is on retired status :p
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Exactly, talk about a step backwards for humanity... we can spend time making war with eachother - but when it comes to moving people from one place to another we're stuck with 747s or nothing.
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The next jumbo generation is coming...
Fear the new Airbus!
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Originally posted by karajorma
No one was willing to put any money into the idea :rolleyes:
And people wonder why engineers and scientists train in the UK but work abroad! :mad:
It's the same with Australia. All of our cool inventions get sold overseas. :sigh:
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I'm going to change all that.
In recent months I've invented Pogo-Crutches, Ghandi Shandy and Brucifixion, all of which I'm going to sell to British companies.
Yes
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Originally posted by Ghostavo
Sorry, either way, is there anything new about this engine that could have an effect in future space travels?
:nod:
Scram jet propulsion is the most efficient form of propulsion in the mach 5 - 11 (ish) range. The only other option for propulsion at this speed is a rocket - and they are crap, with respect to efficiency. Unfortunatly scram jets need a minimun speed to opperate, so you can't launch one from the ground. Scram jets can't acheive orbital speed (or height) either, but they can get you most of the way there.
Scram jets are a big step towards combined cycle launch vehicles, that use the most efficient engine over its respective speed range. Ie, a highly efficient launch vehicle could...
From 0 to mach 0.5 (400mph) use a turboprop (propellor) engine. However they cannot go faster, really.
So from mach 0.5 - mach 0.9 use a turbofan (normal civil jet engine).
From mach 0.9 - mach 2.5/3 use a turbojet (military tyoe jet engine)
Mach 3-6 ramjet.
Mach 6-11 scramjet.
Mach 11 - orbital speed, rocket.
This sort of launch vehicle utilises the most effective form of propulsion over the relevant speed range. Problem is, no single engine can preform in all of these modes, and 6 seperate engines is going to weigh so much its not even worth thinking about.
A good solution (though there are a few) is to carry your launch vehicle to high altitude, 50000ft or so, on the back of another aircraft, powered by efficient jet engines. Launch vehicle then seperates, flies under scramjet power as high and as fast as it can, then kicks in a rocket motor for the final burn to space.
This is highly effective, as the jet aircraft can be re-used, and is relatively cheap to fuel. The launch vehicle itself gets a 'free ride' some of the way there, and only has to carry 2 types of engines. This sort of vehicle could carry roughly 10-15% of its weight as cargo - compaired to conventional rockets which are luck to get 3% (payload mass fraction), making getting anything into orbit considerably cheaper.
Scramjets are a major leap forward to this sort of launch, and cheaper space travel.
So, "is there anything new about this engine that could have an effect in future space travels?" - yes.
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beatspete, I find thine reasoning a twinge incorrect.
Turboprob engines, be they ye simplest form known to man, can indeed reach out into the yonder at mach .5 . Their average airspeed velocity does not exceed that of an unladen african swallow.
Turbofan engines, be they ye product of times past the second war, can reach into the high sub-Mach speeds, but they be not of civilian creation. I remindeth thee of the F-4 Phantom and the A-10 were both of turbofan construction.
Military engines can indeed reach Mach 3, but them as achieved it hath been known to undertake speeds even higher, from mach 3.2 by a russian Foxbat to that of an SR-71 Blackbird, which reacheth speeds past Mach 5.
Ramjets and scramjets indeed can be used from a range of Mach 5 beyond, but them that are used needeth high altitude to launch. Sixty thousand feet being the minimum, rarely reached by any plane. The knowledge contained within the engines hath potential uses, but many moons will pass until the knowledge be put to use.
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This old english technobabbel is a bit confounding, I must admit. At any rate, the fastest air-speed by a turbofan engine is the blackbird, at approximately Mach 3.5. The engine can probably goest faster, but the structural composition and design of the aircraft prohibit anything faster. Ramjets work from about 400mph (Mach .6 or so, about the speed of a commercial airliner) up to relatively fast speeds, often hitting a material limit at Mach 3.5 as well though this can probably be improved upon. Scramjet engines, though (at least as far as I can tell) don't even start to work until Mach 5, so there's still a bit of a gap in getting up to speed. One could envision a multi-stage vehicule jettisoning everything but orbital boosters and scramjet boosters once this speed has been achieved, but I think that only chemical rockets wilt actually goest fast enough to start the things.
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Rebuttal originating from the wisdom of Stealth[cro]
beatspete, I find thine reasoning a twinge incorrect.
Turboprob engines, be they ye simplest form known to man, can indeed reach out into the yonder at mach .5 . Their average airspeed velocity dost not exceed that of an unladen african swallow.
How do you know so much about swallows?
But how fast can it go carrying a coconut? :D (my mate is monty python finatic)
Rebuttal originating from the wisdom of Stealth[cro]
Turbofan engines, be they ye product of times past the second war, can reach into the high sub-Mach speeds, but they be not of civilian creation. I remindeth thee of the F-4 Phantom and the A-10 were both of turbofan construction.
Balderdash I sayeth! Balderdash! (spelling?)
A-10's max speed is around 420mph. Other than this being the official speed from the powers that be, an a-10 will never go supersonic in level flight. If you dropped it nose down, it might, but the engines dont have supersonic intakes, without the diffusion required to reduce the flow speed to something acceptable for the fan.
The formation of localised supersonic shockwaves would probably stop the aircraft going supersonic through the drag, regardless of the engines ability.
http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=70
As for the F-4 Phanton, it was flying before turbofans were invented - 1958 first flight.
"Power plant: Two 17,900-pound-thrust General Electric J79-GE-17 jet engines
Speed: 1,485 mph (max.) "
from... http://www.boeing.com/history/mdc/phantomII.htm
"The J79 is a single-shaft re-heated turbojet engine "
Not a turbofan then. (from www.mtu.de)
Doesnt mean that there are no supersonic turbofans. Low bypass ratio turbofans, are used by the Euro Fighter (rolls royce EJ2000), and a few others...
However a high bypass ratio turbofan will never go supersonic, in the way that a propellor (unless specially designed) will not. The speed of the flow into the engines needs to be quite low, and unless you built a massive intake duct, with huge drag, might i add, supersonic will never happen.
Rebuttal originating from the wisdom of Stealth[cro]
Military engines can indeed reach Mach 3, but them as achieved it hath been known to undertake speeds even higher, from mach 3.2 by a russian Foxbat to that of an SR-71 Blackbird, which reacheth speeds past Mach 5.
SR-71, from aerospaceweb.org...
"PERFORMANCE:
Max Level Speed at altitude: 2,275 mph (3,660 km/h) at 80,000 ft (24,385 m), Mach 3.35 [world record]"
Not mach 5. Thats a rumour for people who live too close to airbases and take too many drugs.
Rebuttal originating from the wisdom of Stealth[cro]
Ramjets and scramjets indeed can be used from a range of Mach 5 beyond, but them that art used needeth high altitude to launch. Sixty thousand feet being the minimum, rarely reached by any plane. The knowledge contained within the engines hath potential uses, but many moons wilt pass until the knowledge be put to use.
More balderdash! Stratcomm seems to know his stuff, however.
Beatspete - resident Aerospace Master. Would 'Aero-Lord' be more fitting, given the recent theme?
Well, unchallenged HLP Aero-lord as yet. Interesting title...
hint hint...?
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Originally posted by beatspete
How do you know so much about swallows?
But how fast can it go carrying a coconut? :D (my mate is monty python finatic)
Exactly my point ;) But one swallow can't carry a coconut around! It's not the trouble of where to grip it, it's a matter of weight ratios! A three-ounce bird can't carry a one-pound coconut! :lol:
Balderdash I sayeth! Balderdash! (spelling?)
A-10's max speed is around 420mph. Other than this being the official speed from the powers that be, an a-10 will never go supersonic in level flight. If you dropped it nose down, it might, but the engines dont have supersonic intakes, without the diffusion required to reduce the flow speed to something acceptable for the fan.
Negative. An A-10 has a top speed of 805 km/h (497 mph), and as I already said, it's a turbofan engine. You said turbofans went over Mach 1, which they never do.
The formation of localised supersonic shockwaves would probably stop the aircraft going supersonic through the drag, regardless of the engines ability.
Besides, the Thunderbolt-II wasn't MEANT to go supersonic, it's supposed to kick the dirt up and make it stay that way. Plus, with THAT airframe it's not going anywhere. :D
Doesnt mean that there are no supersonic turbofans. Low bypass ratio turbofans, are used by the Euro Fighter (rolls royce EJ2000), and a few others...
However a high bypass ratio turbofan will never go supersonic, in the way that a propellor (unless specially designed) will not. The speed of the flow into the engines needs to be quite low, and unless you built a massive intake duct, with huge drag, might i add, supersonic will never happen.
Well, that would explain the huge intake under the EF. I wonder if the russian MiG-35 uses the same, knowing how it looks.
SR-71, from aerospaceweb.org...
"PERFORMANCE:
Max Level Speed at altitude: 2,275 mph (3,660 km/h) at 80,000 ft (24,385 m), Mach 3.35 [world record]"
Not mach 5. Thats a rumour for people who live too close to airbases and take too many drugs.
Mea culpa. It is 3.35 as you mentioned. But not even close to a world record, not to mention the fact it's a recon jet which doesn't give it much benefit. It's odd how the world's fastest direct-combat jet is a russian pile of metal over thirty years old...
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A west african or european swallow?
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As I already said, it has to be african, nevermind it being non-migratory ;)