Credit: Defence Science and Technology Organisation
Researchers for Australian and U.S. defense agencies said Friday they tested an experimental jet engine at speeds of up to 6,835 miles per hour —10 times the speed of sound. The tests were conducted over the Australian outback using an air-breathing supersonic combustion “scramjet” engine, which, because it operates properly only at high speeds and in thin air, must first be propelled into the earth’s upper atmosphere by a rocket. The engine then takes over, pushing the vehicle to hypersonic speeds. Scientists say they expect there will be both defense and civilian scramjet applications within the next 20 years. The recent round of tests were conducted as part of a collaboration between Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Organisation and the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
How come PopSci’s PPX does not float any ScramJet event derivative??
UPDATE… On July 9, 20007, we asked for ScramJet prediction markets. PopSci’s PPX has just opened a prediction market on whether a scramjet-powered vehicle will reach a top speed of Mach 15 by the end of 2009. Fantastic. 
