![]() ![]() Knight set the record for fastest crewed flight in 1967 when he piloted the North American X-15 to Mach 6.72 (4,520 mph) at an altitude of 102,100 feet. Air Force and NASA when test pilot William J. ![]() Hypersonic speeds have been achieved before, most notably by the U.S. These things don't happen at one particular speed, so the term "hypersonic" instead refers to the point at which they start to meaningfully affect the mechanics of flight-generally accepted to be Mach 5, or 3,836.35 mph in conditions of 20 degrees Celsius at sea level. Generally, hypersonic speeds are the point at which the molecules of air that surround the aircraft start to change by breaking apart ( dissociation) and/or picking up electrical charge ( ionization). But while "supersonic" has the clear cut definition of being faster than the speed of sound (Mach 1), hypersonic is a little fuzzier. Hypersonic is, obviously, supersonic on steroids. It's all very impressive, but it can be hard to wrap your head around in the abstract, so let's do a little bit of napkin math to really bring it home.įirst, let's establish some terms. The hypersonic SR-72 is reported to be making great gains in secret. The United States is currently developing hypersonic missiles that travel in excess of 6,000 miles per hour. If you have a need for speed, the next frontier is hypersonic. ![]()
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