Smithsonian Magazine

See These Pioneering Air- and Spacecraft in Your Town

Smithsonian National Postal Museum, Washington, D.C.
National Security Journal on MSN

NASA’s X-43A Scramjet Almost Hit Mach 10 But Got the Hypersonic ‘Axe’

A’s Legacy Go Operational? -In 2004, NASA’s X-43A set the air-breathing speed record at Mach 9.6, validating scramjet combustion but only for 10 seconds before gliding to splashdown. -The demo ended ...