Aeronautics Session 11: Hypersonics

Study Notes

Aircraft flying at Mach 5 (5 times faster than the speed of sound) or above are considered Hypersonic.
Mach 5 = approximately 3,800 miles (6,116 km) per hour.
At low hypersonic speeds (Mach 5 up to 10), molecular bonds vibrate, changing the magnitude of the forces generated by the air on the aircraft.
At high hypersonic speeds (Mach 10 and above), the molecules break apart, producing an electrically charged super-hot plasma around the aircraft.

A spacecraft re-entering the Earth's atmosphere is traveling much faster than the speed of sound, typically near 17,500 mph, with a Mach number nearly twenty-five (M < 25).
The high speed causes compression of the airflow, breaking the chemical bonds of the air molecules, producing an electrically charged plasma around the aircraft.
Spacecraft use ablative heat shields designed to burn away slowly during reentry to protect the spacecraft and its occupants.

Plasma is a super-heated cloud of protons, neutrons, and electrons where the electrons have been ripped from their respective molecules and atoms.
It's often called "the fourth state of matter," along with solid, liquid, and gas.

Hypersonic cruising aircraft and cruise missiles fly at the lower limits of hypersonic, from Mach 5 to 10.
Modern hypersonic aircraft are powered by air-breathing ramjet and scramjet propulsion systems, which are more efficient than rockets.
Ramjets and scramjets use the force of the hypersonic aircraft ramming through the air to provide needed compression of the airflow.

A hypersonic accelerator must continually produce excess thrust (thrust greater than drag) in order to accelerate.
It can be used to launch a vehicle into orbit in one single stage or as the first stage of a two-stage booster.
The Ram Accelerator is a launcher that uses chemical energy to accelerate vehicles to hypersonic speeds, generating very strong thrust.

Aircraft flying at Mach 5 (5 times faster than the speed of sound) or above are considered Hypersonic.
Mach 5 = approximately 3,800 miles (6,116 km) per hour.
At low hypersonic speeds (Mach 5 up to 10), molecular bonds vibrate, changing the magnitude of the forces generated by the air on the aircraft.
At high hypersonic speeds (Mach 10 and above), the molecules break apart, producing an electrically charged super-hot plasma around the aircraft.

A spacecraft re-entering the Earth's atmosphere is traveling much faster than the speed of sound, typically near 17,500 mph, with a Mach number nearly twenty-five (M < 25).
The high speed causes compression of the airflow, breaking the chemical bonds of the air molecules, producing an electrically charged plasma around the aircraft.
Spacecraft use ablative heat shields designed to burn away slowly during reentry to protect the spacecraft and its occupants.

Plasma is a super-heated cloud of protons, neutrons, and electrons where the electrons have been ripped from their respective molecules and atoms.
It's often called "the fourth state of matter," along with solid, liquid, and gas.

Hypersonic cruising aircraft and cruise missiles fly at the lower limits of hypersonic, from Mach 5 to 10.
Modern hypersonic aircraft are powered by air-breathing ramjet and scramjet propulsion systems, which are more efficient than rockets.
Ramjets and scramjets use the force of the hypersonic aircraft ramming through the air to provide needed compression of the airflow.

A hypersonic accelerator must continually produce excess thrust (thrust greater than drag) in order to accelerate.
It can be used to launch a vehicle into orbit in one single stage or as the first stage of a two-stage booster.
The Ram Accelerator is a launcher that uses chemical energy to accelerate vehicles to hypersonic speeds, generating very strong thrust.