NASA's speedster scramjet noses near Mach 10

NASA's X-43A unmanned experimental research jet nosed its way into the record books again on Tuesday as it flew close to Mach 10.

Preliminary data from the small 3.7m scramjet-powered research vehicle show its revolutionary engine worked successfully at nearly Mach 9.8 (7,000 mph) as it flew at 110,000 feet.

Originally scheduled to fly on November 15, the delayed flight took place on Tuesday November 16 over the US naval test range in the Pacific Ocean northwest of Los Angeles.

Part of NASA's Hyper-X Programme that has explored the alternative to rocket-powered space vehicles, the air breathing scramjet engine which relies on a supersonic airflow, rather than a traditional compressor based jet engine design, has been hailed as an engineering success.

NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe said: "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.

"These developments will also help us advance the Vision for Space Exploration, while helping to advance commercial aviation technology."

Supersonic combustion ramjets (scramjets) promise increased affordability, flexibility and safety in ultra high-speed flights within the atmosphere for the first stage to Earth orbit.

Boosted to around Mach 4 by a conventional jet engine or booster rocket, a scramjet can fly at supersonic speeds, theoretically up to Mach 15, without the weight penalty imposed by heavy pressurised oxygen tanks.

With no moving parts, the engine compresses the air passing through it, so it can ignite the fuel. Unlike a rocket engine that tends to produce full thrust all the time, a scramjet engine can be throttled back and flown more like an airplane.

However, NASA's plans to develop a larger scramjet powered vehicle, the X-43C, have been placed on the back burner. In January this year, President Bush announced manned missions to the moon planned for 2015, these would divert funds away from NASA's scramjet programme.

(SP/GMCG)