Blog Restart

Ok, it’s been a while and I have been really, really slack, but let’s get this blog back on the rails.

Scramjet ok for flight test

The SJX61-2 scramjet engine, part of the X-51A Scramjet Engine Demonstrator-WaveRider (SED-WR), has successfully cleared ground tests and is being readied for a flight test.

This engine is unique because it is liquid hydrocarbon fuelled and will operate in the Mach 4.5-6 flight envelope.  This makes it a so-called “dual-mode” scramjet, with regions of both subsonic and supersonic combustion occurring in its combustion chamber.  The successful development of dual mode engines that run on liquid hydrocrabons (like kerosene or Jet fuel) is a vital part of the overall development of the scramjet.  It will enable acceleration from the low Mach number turbojet flight regime (Mach 3) through to pure hypersonic (Mach 6+).

Most scramjet designs hydrogen fuel (e.g. X-41A and HyShot). Practical designs (especially military) need to run on liquid fuels, due to their ease of use and high energy density.  Hydrogen has high energy per unit mass (J/kg), but very low energy density (J/cu.m), thereby requiring the use of expensive and awkward cryogenic fuel systems.  Liquid fuels are as convenient to use as petrol from your local fuel supplier, but there is a performance penalty due to lower energy per unit mass and difficulties in mixing and ignition (and probably total pressure loss).

Read the Press Release.

Excerpt from spaceref.com:  ”The X-51 Flight Test Program plans to demonstrate the operation of a scramjet engine within the Mach 4.5 to 6.0-plus range during four flight tests beginning in 2009. The program will set the foundation for several hypersonic applications, including access to space, reconnaissance-strike and global reach. The SJX61-2 duplicates the flight configuration propulsion design, including a Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC), flight fuel pump and ethylene start system to orchestrate the closed-loop thermal management and combustion systems that use JP-7 fuel.”

More details of China’s Third Manned Space Mission

China has released more details of their third manned mission that now includes a one hour spacewalk (sse this link).  The Chinese will also beam their spacewalk ’live’ to the world.

 

Excerpt from Space.com’s story:

“China’s Shenzhou spacecraft are based on Russia’s three-module Soyuz vehicles, but have been modernized by Chinese engineers. They include an orbital module that can remain in space to carry out experiments after the crew returns in the reentry module. The orbital module is outfitted with solar arrays to supply it with power, and could become the base for a space station or a docking target for future spacecraft.

This third spaceflight was originally scheduled for the end of October, but was moved earlier so that the position of the sun would enable the spacewalk to be performed in sunlight, rather than darkness, China Daily reported.

The five-day mission is aimed at continuing China’s journey toward the goal of exploring space and eventually landing on the moon, Chinese space officials have said.”

Space Based Power Experiment

Researchers in Hawaii have performed an experiment where they wireless transmit solar power (see story here).

Details are sketchy, but it seems that the researchers concenrate solar energy on some solar cells and then transmit this energy using IR.  This experiment captured solar energy at a mountain top and beamed it about 100 miles.  The application is space-based solar power.  The idea is to use an array of solar cells in orbit to capture solar energy dierect from the sun and then beam it down to Earth.  This idea has been around for a long time with Glaser in 1968 proposing a series of microwave transmiussion satellites.

There is even a Wiki page on this.

Hydrocarbon Scaramjet Flight Test in 2009

The US Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) has stated that it will aim for a 5min hypersonic flight test of its X-51A scramjet powered vehicle in September-October 2009 (Flightglobal).

The X-51A is aimed at understanding hydrocarbon supersonic combustion, for future missiles and eventually low-cost orbital access.  The X51 is a dual mode scramjet, that is, the engine is designed to burn fuel subsonically or supersonically, depending on the flight condition.  Such an engine is thought to be the most viable for flying from supersonic to hypersonic flight regimes (i.e. from Mach 4 to Mach 7).

A flight test of the X-51A woud be a substantial milestone in achieving sustainable, hypersonic flight.

Chinese Manned Mission Number 3

AFP have reported that the Chinese will launch their third manned space mission in late September.  Not much else is reported about the mission, other than three “taikonauts” will be on board and there will be a space walk.  China is the third country to perform manned space missions after the US and Russia.

Sikorsky X2 takes off

Sikorsky has begun flight testing its advanced rotorcraft technology demonstrator, the X2

According to the Sikorsky press release: “Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation today successfully completed the first flight of its X2 TECHNOLOGY™ Demonstrator, maneuvering the prototype aircraft through hover, forward flight, and a hover turn, in a test flight that lasted approximately 30 minutes. Sikorsky is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.”

The X2 is designed to provide 250 knts more forward flight capability. The Westland Lynx holds the current speed record at 210 knts. The X2 uses a special counter rotating dual rigid rotor system that slows automatically using a flight control system, while extra propulsive thrust is created using a pusher.

The X2 is also the name of a hypervelocity expansion tube designed by yours truly at the University of Queensland, Australia for his PhD. Click here for more details.

NASA hypersonic flight experiment failure

Two NASA hypersonic flight experiments: HYBOLT and SOAREX were lost recently when a new ATK launch vehicle failed and was destroyed by safety officers.

The HYBOLT (Hypersonic boundary layer transition) was aimed at providing fundamental data on hypersonic boundary layers.  SOAREX contained 3 payloads, the most interesting to me is the SCRAMP or slotted compression ramp which was intended to allow a “super-stable re-entry system”.  Follow the link and this news story for more complete details.  One of the real shames of this story is that NASA’s aeronautics budget is so low (about %30 of 1990’s levels) there is no backup flight.  Bit of a shame to get so far and stop when probably a modest sum could see project success and much new information gained about hypersonic flight.

Mining the Moon

The University of Wisconsin at Madison are working on a method to mine Helium 3 from the moon. Their idea uses concentrated sunlight to bake lunar soil, which has millions of tonnes deposited in it from the solar wind. You can read about it here.

Why bother? I hear you ask. Well, you can burn Helium 3 in a fusion reaction. Apparently, this process will yield 300 times more energy than it uses, including the round trip to the moon.

Free Open Source Software Page

I have started a new page where I am listing free open source software (FOSS) as I come across it.

The permalink is here. Enjoy.