1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Thanks Connie. Now that we know what pilots have to keep in their minds with today's aircraft, let's consider the future of flight. 2 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:12,000 Have you ever wondered what the airplanes of tomorrow will look like? Or how fast they will travel? 3 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:15,000 Will tomorrow's planes travel into space or beyond? 4 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:24,000 On today's show, we're going to learn how NASA researchers and engineers are using geometry and algebra to design, develop, and test future experimental airplanes. 5 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:27,000 What is an experimental plane? 6 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:33,000 Experimental planes, or X-planes, are tools of exploration that come in many shapes and sizes. 7 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:37,000 They fly with jet engines, rocket engines, or with no engines at all. 8 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:42,000 Which means NASA flies not only the fastest airplanes, but the slowest as well. 9 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:46,000 Some planes are too small for a pilot, and some are as large as an airliner. 10 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:51,000 The research conducted on experimental aircraft today gives us a glimpse into the future. 11 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:57,000 NASA is developing one of the fastest experimental X-planes ever. It's called the HyperX. 12 00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:59,000 What is the HyperX? 13 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:06,000 The HyperX research vehicle is an experimental plane that uses this really cool engine technology called the scramjet. 14 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:09,000 Go for main engine start. 15 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:17,000 Unlike rockets, such as the space shuttle main engines, which must carry both fuel and oxygen, the scramjet will only carry hydrogen fuel. 16 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:21,000 It will take in oxygen out of the thin upper atmosphere as it travels along. 17 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:27,000 We call this kind of engine an air breather, and it will allow the HyperX to fly at incredible speeds. 18 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:35,000 In fact, the HyperX will fly at about 3,020 meters per second, which is about 6,750 miles per hour, or Mach 10. 19 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,000 What does Mach number mean? 20 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:42,000 Mach number represents how many times the speed of sound a vehicle is traveling. 21 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:52,000 Mach 1 equals the speed of sound, which is approximately 302 meters per second, or 675 miles per hour, at an altitude of 100,000 feet, 22 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:55,000 which is the test altitude for the HyperX. 23 00:01:55,000 --> 00:02:05,000 Mach 2, which is twice the speed of sound, will approximately be 604 meters per second, or 1,350 miles per hour, at an altitude of 100,000 feet. 24 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:10,000 Mach numbers are used by NASA researchers to describe the speed at which a plane is flying. 25 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:20,000 Let's use algebra to show how to calculate the Mach number of the HyperX flying at 3,020 meters per second, or 6,750 miles per hour. 26 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:28,000 This algebraic equation shows that the Mach number equals the speed of the plane divided by the speed of the sound in the air, where M is the Mach number. 27 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:33,000 V is equal to the speed of the plane, and A is equal to the speed of sound in the air. 28 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:42,000 If the speed of the plane is 3,020 meters per second, and the speed of sound at 100,000 feet is 302 meters per second, then what is the Mach number? 29 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:51,000 That's right! 3,020 meters per second is about Mach 10, or 10 times the speed of sound. 30 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:57,000 We'll learn more about Mach numbers later in the show, but first, let me tell you about the HyperX. 31 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:04,000 The HyperX is designed as a flying engine, which means the airplane and the engine are one unit. 32 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:12,000 The unique shape of the airplane develops the lift necessary to keep the plane up in the air, so it doesn't need wings to produce lift. 33 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:16,000 The entire undersurface of the airplane is designed to act as part of the engine. 34 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:24,000 In order to test the scramjet engine, the HyperX is launched by NASA's B-52 and boosted by a rocket to its testing altitude. 35 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:29,000 It will then separate from the rocket, and the scramjet engine begin its test flight.