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X-43A set for captive carry flight test NASA-DFRC NEWS RELEASE Posted: September 6, 2004 Only days after Guinness World Records certified the prior flight of NASA's X-43A hypersonic technology demonstrator aircraft as a world speed record, a full-scale dress rehearsal for the last and even faster flight of the small unpiloted research aircraft is tentatively scheduled to occur on Tuesday, Sept. 7 from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. The dress rehearsal, officially called a "captive carry" mission, will involve a full-up replication of all operational functions that will occur on the actual research flight later this fall. In this captive carry mission, however, the X-43A and its modified first-stage Pegasus launch rocket will not be launched from NASA's B-52B mother ship. The X-43A is powered by a revolutionary supersonic-combustion ramjet or "scramjet" engine integrated into the airframe. During its flight last March, the second X-43A maintained a speed of at least Mach 6.83, or almost seven times the speed of sound. For the final flight, the third vehicle is tentatively targeted to reach and maintain a speed of about Mach 10, or close to 7,200 mph. Pending thorough evaluation of all captive-carry flight data, the test could lead to launch of the X-43A on its final flight in the Hyper-X hypersonic research program in late October. The X-43A/Hyper-X hypersonic research program is a joint effort of NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., and Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. |
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Director of the Kennedy Space Center, Jim Kennedy, briefs reports on the initial hurricane damage inspections at the spaceport on MOnday, Sept. 6. (24min 00sec file)
This movie captues the highlights from the fourth spacewalk by space station Expedition 9 commander Gennady Padalka and flight engineer Mike Fincke. (3min 33sec file)
Lockheed Martin's last Atlas 2AS rocket blasts off from Cape Canaveral carrying a classified National Reconnaissance Office spacecraft. (3min 59sec file)
The Atlas launch team in the Complex 36 Blockhouse celebrate the history of pad 36A in a post-launch toast. The Atlas 2AS rocket flight was the last to launch from the pad, which entered service in 1962. (2min 09sec file)
The classified NRO payload is deployed from the Centaur upper stage to successfully complete the launch. (1min 56sec file)