Hypersonic Jet Launch

[Beawulf]

Hypersonic Jet Launch

 

Some interesting stuff going on in the world of rocket engines.

 

I went to some seminars by the hyshot group over the new year period. There is alot of involvement from the mechanical and space students at the University of Queensland which is pretty exciting imo ;)

 

the article is somewhat misleading to say the engines were tested in windtunnels, not at least how most people would consider them. No windtunnel that uses turbines can achieve speeds of mach 5. Instead these engines were tested in shock tunnels, which heat air up to the temperature of the sun, and then this expanding gas produces the high speeds. It is these high temperatures that prevent the testing from lasting more than a fraction of a second

[Megalith]

the article is somewhat misleading to say the engines were tested in windtunnels' date=' not at least how most people would consider them. No windtunnel that uses turbines can achieve speeds of mach 5. Instead these engines were tested in shock tunnels, which heat air up to the temperature of the sun, and then this expanding gas produces the high speeds. It is these high temperatures that prevent the testing from lasting more than a fraction of a second[/quote']Holy s@it is that the only way they can test these engines. I was involved in some aeronautical work a few years ago it didnt involve testing turbines but more the motor control circuitry side of aircraft design testing to destruction is good fun lol

[skibumchris]

That is cool stuff!

 

A guy up here in Canada wants to send someone to space, he was compeating for the Xprize of 10 million. He built a V2 rocket engine in his basement and to the dismay of all the people he asked for help who all said it couldnt be done....

 

he had a full test, and nothing went BOOM. it was pretty cool to watch on discovery channel.

[Amnot Borg]

I just saw the new avatar, skibumchris, I can't stop laughing..... :p

[Megalith]

yeah same here very funny dude :)

[Beawulf]

Ditto!!

[skibumchris]

thought u guys would like it haha.

[magestorm]

Mind if I borrow that for a different site?

 

[skibumchris]

go ahead`and take it, i found it somewhere else. like i want to spend the time making it lol.

[Tenebrae]

There were guys in Britain that were launching rockets powered by - I kid you not - sugar. They did pretty well... not sure if it was related to the X-prize... as they were about the Size of a Cumbrian, I assume not.

 

Anyway, you'll all be pleased to know NASA scrapped scramjet research in favour of trying to put men on Mars. Yup. Good old tangible progress vs. a political goal.

 

The real problem with a scramjet is getting it to the speed at which it begins to function, ah well.

[skibumchris]

Yeah that sucks.

 

But the cold war, governments and military started the space race.

 

Now because countrys are not compeating for the first man in space, first on the moon or mars because no one can really afford it.

 

I think to get a Ram Jet, or anyting cool that would benfit space, or public space travel would be the private sector.

 

So never know, we might have a space tourism race on are hands that is starting to develope.

 

 

[Megalith]

Talkin about doin things of ya own back, a good friend of mine successfully made a ball of lightning in his garage using a homemade van der graph generator, F$£%#ng scary lol it left a big pit in his wall lol.

[Tenebrae]

Few meaningful technological advances are ever made by governments. I'm always amused when people seem to think NASA are the be all and end all of space.

 

They're a bureaucracy. I recall hearing of how some idealistic guy went to work for NASA and so to do his study, he needed some data from the people in Astronomy. So he goes to ask for it and they go - "Oh, if you want that, then you'll have to get us some data from X" and then X say he needs to get Y and so on. Maybe apocraphyl but a lot of the documentaries on it really seem to show the word "administration" is wholly deserved.

 

Anyway, the space shuttle was probably one of the most retrogressive steps in terms of space exploration. Spaceship One is a far more sensible option.

 

I also think it's generally becoming accepted now that progress with space is getting to a point where the sums of money involved are so great that efforts have to be international.

[skibumchris]

or maybe we should stay on earth before we go muck up another planet

[Tenebrae]

Uhuh... I'm putting my team of crack team of logicians on that sentence to see if there is any logic to it.

[Steveo]

I do think space needs to be left for the time being to short distances, because let's face it, there isn't anything on Mars worth spending billions on, compared to what there is on Earth to spend that on.

[Amnot Borg]

How do you really know nothing of value is on Mars without further research? More money is spent on product advertising or propaganda than on space research. Budget cuts.... us to the bone.

[MrDad]

I do think space needs to be left for the time being to short distances' date=' because let's face it, there isn't anything on Mars worth spending billions on, compared to what there is on Earth to spend that on.[/quote']There was not much of value on the Moon itself but even today we are reaping the benefits of the trip due to the advances in technology and science necessary to carry out the task.

[Tenebrae]

That's hyperbole.

 

Next you'll be telling us teflon came from the space race? While governments can make progress in certain areas, it's almost always the private sector that actually does the vast majority of R&D. The reason we've not progressed much beyond LEO on a regular basis is simply - there is no commercial incentive.

 

Going to Mars in itself would likely be another prestige mission with little intrinsic scientific value. Sure there is more versatility to it but most likely, they'll go there have a few brews and then head home. If it was a commitment to a longer term presence, I'd be less cynical. Although the crew exploration vessel thing is potentially much more useful in the long term.

[MrDad]

Implantable pacemakers use a small atomic power source originally designed to power deep space probes. Cordless tools, along with the high capacity batteries which power them and other products like our cellphones, our mp3 players and more, were developed originally for the space program. The portable medical sensor equipment in the back of ambulances is a direct descendent of the gear used to monitor astronauts. Fly-by-wire, a feature of modern aircraft like Boeing's 777 and Airbus' A380, is a direct descendent of the original Apollo guidance system. The money that the U.S. gov't paid out to have these technologies developed and advanced has been far more than offset by the benefits to society as a whole. These are just a few examples of technology spun off from the space program.