Aircraft almost like rockets

2005/01/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Garraioak
• Aeronautika
• Astronautika

A NASA plane has reached a speed of almost Mach 10, that is, the X-43A has flown to almost 11,000 km/h. NASA did not intend to make any kind of speed record, or at least that. The idea is to test the planes to someday replace the rockets.

The plane was carrying the scramjet engine. This engine has no moving parts and is very efficient. It absorbs directly from the atmosphere the oxygen it needs in the flight, which is compressed and mixed with the hydrogen carried by the plane. The combustion produces the spread of gases, which makes the plane move.

When absorbing oxygen from the atmosphere, you do not need a tank full of liquid oxygen. In this it differs from the rockets. Rockets are actually faster than X-43A engine aircraft, but they need large tanks of hydrogen and oxygen. The transport of both fuels is dangerous and expensive.

However, the X-43 does not have it all in favor. The Scramjet engine is put into operation from the speed of Mach 5, for which you need the strength of a rocket. The plane began with a Pegasus propeller rocket. Then the rocket released the plane and it flew 20 seconds at a speed of Mach 10.