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Edwards - may 30, 2001 Imagine an aircraft that can fly at rocket speeds, seven times the speed of sound. NASA engineers are preparing for the first in a series of test flights that will turn imagination into reality with the X-43A and its hypersonic engine. The first of three scheduled test flights of NASA's scramjet-propelled aircraft could come as early as June 2. A second flight is scheduled for this winter and a final X-43A flight is set for late next year. Typical of any "X," or experimental program, X-43A will fly only when weather conditions and all technical factors point to the best chance of success. The X-43A, 12-feet long with a 5-foot wingspan, will be dropped from a B-52 bomber flying from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. After being boosted by a Pegasus rocket, the X43A will fly at speeds approaching Mach 7 before splashing into the Pacific Ocean. If the first flight occurs Saturday, June 2, a press conference will be held a couple of hours after the B-52 carrier aircraft returns to base. NASA Television will carry the news conference and will air video replays of the X-43A flight. Related Links Detailed Flight Facts, Images and Charts Hyper X at Dryden Hyper X at Langley SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express
X-40A Seventh -- And Final -- Free Flight Successful, Paving Way For Nasa's X-37 Space Plane
Huntsville - May 19, 2001The X-40A vehicle successfully performed a seventh - and final - free flight test today at Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, Calif. The X-40A was lifted by an Army Chinook helicopter to an altitude of 15,005 feet (4,574 meters) and released at 6:15 a.m. PDT, reaching a speed of 304 mph (486 kilometers per hour), to complete the test when the wheels rolled to a stop at 6:17 a.m. PDT.
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