8bitfuture:

Reason for DARPA’s hypersonic vehicle failure released.

As covered here back in August 2011, DARPA’s Hypersonic Technology Vehicle (HTV-2) failed nine minutes into a test flight, where it flew at speeds of Mach 20 after launching from a Minotaur IV rocket.

After seven months of data analysis from the flight, DARPA has revealed that a series of shocks caused by “unexpected aeroshell degradation” caused it to fail. In other words, the skin of the aircraft begun to peel off, disrupting airflow around the craft which was travelling at around 13,000mph.

DARPA is still upbeat about the loss of the aircraft:

“The greatest achievement from Flight Two, which the ERB’s findings underscored, was that we successfully incorporated aerodynamic knowledge gained from the first flight into the second flight,” said Air Force Maj. Chris Schulz, DARPA program manager.

“The initial shockwave disturbances experienced during second flight, from which the vehicle was able to recover and continue controlled flight, exceeded by more than 100 times what the vehicle was designed to withstand,” said DARPA Acting Director,Kaigham J. Gabriel. “That’s a major validation that we’re advancing our understanding of aerodynamic control for hypersonic flight.”

Lessons learnt from this flight will be incorporated into future designs, in order to reach meet the “Conventional Prompt Global Strike initiatives”, which seek the ability to reach (and strike) anywhere within the world in an hour.

(via 8bitfuture)

Notes

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    Oh, well that makes sense then. If they can make a better, more heat-resistant, smoother, and more stable shell, then...

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