Nasa hypersonic jet fails
The X-43A: It has an air-breathing engine
Nasa has aborted the test flight of a hypersonic jet designed to fly at a record-breaking seven times the speed of sound.
It blew up a rocket that was intended to launch the unmanned X-43A on a 10-second flight over the Pacific Ocean.
The experimental jet was presumed to have been destroyed in the explosion.
Nasa was aiming to beat the world record of Mach 6.7, over six times the speed of sound, set by the rocket-powered X-15 in 1967.
Out of control
The Pegasus booster rocket was released from a B-52 plane, with the X-43A attached.
But within seconds, Pegasus was malfunctioning.
"The Pegasus went out of control, it appeared parts were breaking off of it," said a Nasa spokesman.
The explosion occured at about 13 km (45,000 feet) above the Pacific Ocean.
The surfboard shaped jet began its journey from the Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Once released from Pegasus, it would have flown using its specialised scramjet engine.
The engine sucks oxygen from the atmosphere as it flies, using the oxygen to burn a small amount of hydrogen for fuel.
This eliminates the need for heavy, expensive, liquid oxygen tanks.
The jet is at the forefront of new technology that could eventually lead to faster space travel.
It is designed to accelerate to Mach 7 and Mach 10. By contrast, a jet fighter plane travels at speeds of Mach 1 to Mach 2.
The $185m project aims to fly three of the
planes over the next 18 months. Data
collected during the flights will be used to build
larger planes capable of carrying a pilot
-- Anonymous, June 02, 2001