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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div>Steven Lingle</div><div><a href="mailto:barisax@olypen.com">barisax@olypen.com</a></div><br><span></span><span></span><span><img height="96" width="96" id="8ba395e8-e5cd-4833-ade2-b6ed63ccfefc" apple-width="yes" apple-height="yes" src="cid:8BAE67BC-3CE7-4CB7-9917-2A01FC9A34CF@Belkin"></span>
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<div><br><blockquote type="cite"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceName"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceType"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"><div lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple"><div class="Section1"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><font size="2" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana"><br><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="'Baskerville Old Face'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br></span></font>
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<div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><font size="2" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana">Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2010 7:05
AM...<br>
<br>
Success!<br>
In its first flight attempt, the Boeing-built X-51A WaveRider successfully<br>
completed the longest supersonic combustion ramjet-powered flight in history<br>
on Wednesday. The unmanned aerial vehicle was released from a U.S. Air Force<br>
B-52H bomber off the <st1:place w:st="on">Southern California</st1:place>
coast.<br>
Although the results are preliminary, the X-51A flew autonomously for more<br>
than 200 seconds in a vehicle built by Boeing and powered by a Pratt &<br>
Whitney Rocketdyne supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) motor. It<br>
accelerated to approximately Mach 5, and transmitted large amounts of data<br>
to ground stations. After 200 seconds, something occurred that caused the<br>
vehicle to lose acceleration. At that point, the X-51A was terminated as<br>
planned.<br>
Although the vehicle did not reach Mach 6 or fly 500 seconds, the X-51A team<br>
considers the flight a success. Three additional vehicles have been built<br>
and will be tested.<br>
"The technology proven today is something The Boeing Company has worked on<br>
for the past seven years," said Alex Lopez, vice president of Advanced<br>
Network & Space Systems, a division of Boeing Phantom Works. "It is<br>
thrilling to be a part of history and advance hypersonic science to the next<br>
level. Boeing is looking forward to transitioning the technology to<br>
operation in the near term, but for now, we are exhilarated."<br>
"We are ecstatic to have accomplished many of the X-51A test points during<br>
its first hypersonic mission," said Charlie Brink, X-51A program manager<br>
with the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base,<br>
<st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ohio</st1:place></st1:state>.
"This gives us huge confidence. We built four test vehicles to get a<br>
successful flight and we hit many of our goals right out of the gate the<br>
first time around."<br>
The X-51A was carried under the left wing of an Air Force Flight Test Center<br>
B-52H Stratofortress that took off from Edwards Air Force Base. It was<br>
released while flying at ~50,000 feet over the Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare<br>
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Center</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Sea</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Range</st1:placetype></st1:place>.
Four seconds later, a solid rocket booster from a <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region><br>
Army tactical missile accelerated the X-51A to about Mach 4.5 before it and<br>
a connecting interstage were jettisoned. The X-51A's engine ignited on a mix<br>
of ethylene and JP-7 jet fuel. After a short period, the X-51A ran<br>
exclusively on JP-7 jet fuel. The flight reached an altitude of about 70,000<br>
feet and a peak speed of approximately Mach 5.<br>
Onboard sensors transmitted data to both an airborne U.S. Navy P-3 Orion and<br>
to ground systems at Point Mugu, Edwards, and Vandenberg Air Force Base,<br>
before the cruiser was terminated after losing telemetry. The team even<br>
successfully tested out the termination system.<br>
"This is a new world record and sets the foundation for several hypersonic<br>
applications, including access to space, reconnaissance, strike, global<br>
reach and commercial transportation," said Joe Vogel, Boeing director of<br>
Hypersonics and X-51A program manager.<br>
The Boeing team left the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Ridley</st1:placename>
<st1:placename w:st="on">Control</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place>
at Edwards Air Force Base<br>
after the test, high-fiving each other. "We did it," echoed a number
of<br>
engineers who whopped and hollered outside the building.<br>
Boeing Phantom Works, a division of Boeing Defense, Space & Security,<br>
performed the overall air vehicle design, assembly and testing for the<br>
X-51A's various components. The X-51A program is a collaborative effort of<br>
the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Defense Advanced Research Projects<br>
Agency, with industry partners Boeing and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne.<br>
Program officials noted that while development of the vehicle's engine and<br>
the test program are complex, controlling costs has been a key objective.<br>
The team has adapted existing proven technologies, and elected not to build<br>
recovery systems into the flight test vehicles, in an effort to control<br>
costs. Data will be reviewed before any additional flights will be<br>
scheduled.<br>
"I have been working on this project for seven years," said a Boeing<br>
engineer, fumbling as he tried to dial out on a Blackberry phone. "I am so<br>
excited, I can't even remember the number I'm dialing. We did something no<br>
one else has ever done before -- it doesn't get any better than that."<br>
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