[beatspete]

http://www.nasa.gov/missions/research/x43_soars_feature.html

Nice one. Finally a good use of America's wealth.

With this sort of technology implamented, Europe to Australia flights would take 3 hours.


edit: woosh!

[Turnsky]

now, in the future, i can see australians making day-trips to the US or somesuch.. pretty cool tech.

[Fineus]

Could've sworn scramjets were around a couple of years back... still I suppose at least they've publicised this one.

[Petrarch of the VBB]

Aren't V-Wings propelled by scramjets?

[Stealth[cro]]

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).

[Petrarch of the VBB]

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

[aldo_14]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3575561.stm

BBC story.

[diamondgeezer]

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

[Liberator]

I thought the Aurora was power by PulseDet engines.

OnTopic:
This was the first scramjet test that was 100% successful, previous tests were not.

[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.

[Zuljin]

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...

[karajorma]

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.

[Janos]

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!!

[Zuljin]

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
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.

[Bobboau]

you all do know that there is an area 51, though, right?

[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.

[Mr. Vega]

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.

[diamondgeezer]

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

[Zuljin]

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


diamondgeezer: yeah, they developed and tested both the U-2 and the SR-71 at Groom Lake (or Area51 if you prefer).

[Turnsky]

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


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.