The US space agency Nasa has plans to build a Hypersonic jet that would enable passengers to fly from London to New York in just 45 minutes!
The craft would travel at an incredible five times the speed of sound, reaching Mach 5, which when you compare it to the iconic jet Concorde that completed its first supersonic flight in 1969 flying at twice the speed of sound, Mach 2, these are phenomenal speeds!
Scientists at NASA are planning to spend $15 million (9.25 million) over the coming three years to finalise the project and although the aircraft is designed with the purpose of flying in space, if it were to be considered for commercial passenger flights it could see travelling times drastically cut for example; passengers flying from New York to Sidney, Australia, could see their journey reduced from the current time of 21 hours to a mere two and a half hours.
The NASA Aeronautics 2010 proposal states: “Space access launch vehicles must be lightweight, fully reusable and easily maintained if low-cost access to space is to be achieved.”
The craft would travel at an incredible five times the speed of sound, reaching Mach 5, which when you compare it to the iconic jet Concorde that completed its first supersonic flight in 1969 flying at twice the speed of sound, Mach 2, these are phenomenal speeds!
Scientists at NASA are planning to spend $15 million (9.25 million) over the coming three years to finalise the project and although the aircraft is designed with the purpose of flying in space, if it were to be considered for commercial passenger flights it could see travelling times drastically cut for example; passengers flying from New York to Sidney, Australia, could see their journey reduced from the current time of 21 hours to a mere two and a half hours.
The NASA Aeronautics 2010 proposal states: “Space access launch vehicles must be lightweight, fully reusable and easily maintained if low-cost access to space is to be achieved.”
