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| Keywords: The X-43A-Pegasus combination dropped into the Pacific Ocean after losing control early in the first DVIDS690943.jpg en The first X-43A hypersonic research aircraft and its modified Pegasus booster rocket were carried aloft by NASA's NB-52B carrier aircraft from Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base Calif on June 2 2001 for the first of three high-speed free flight attempts About an hour and 15 minutes later the Pegasus booster was released from the B-52 to accelerate the X-43A to its intended speed of Mach 7 Before this could be achieved the combined Pegasus and X-43A stack lost control about eight seconds after ignition of the Pegasus rocket motor The mission was terminated and explosive charges ensured the Pegasus and X-43A fell into the Pacific Ocean in a cleared Navy range area A NASA investigation board is being assembled to determine the cause of the incident Work continues on two other X-43A vehicles the first of which could fly by late 2001 Central to the X-43A program is its integration of an air-breathing scramjet engine that could enable a variety of high-speed aerospace craft and promote cost-effective access to space The 12-foot unpiloted research vehicle was developed and built for NASA by MicroCraft Inc Tullahoma Tenn The booster was built by Orbital Sciences Corp at Chandler Ariz The X-43A flights are the first actual flight tests of an aircraft powered by a scramjet engine capable of operating at hypersonic speeds above Mach 5 or five times the speed of sound Some 90 minutes after takeoff the Pegasus will launch from a B-52 rocketing the X-43A to Mach 7 at 95 000 feet altitude or Mach 10 at 105 000 feet altitude The X-43A will be powered by its revolutionary air-breathing supersonic-combustion ramjet or scramjet engine The X-43A will then fly a pre-programmed trajectory conducting aerodynamic and propulsion experiments as it descends until it splashes into the Pacific Ocean NASA Identifier NIX-EC01-0182-11 2009-12-10 Glenn Research Center https //www dvidshub net/image/690943 690943 2012-10-10 12 30 WASHINGTON DC US PD-USGov Edwards Air Force Base Images from DoD uploaded by Fæ Boeing X-43 | ||||
