…Using A Simple, Sophisticated System
The scramjet engine design has no moving parts. The forward speed of the aircraft itself, enhanced by the shape of the nose, compresses a stream of air that is channeled into the engine, where it mixes with gaseous hydrogen fuel — there are no fan blades that compress the air, as in a normal jet engine. In a scramjet engine, the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. NASA says such a design may be capable of flying at Mach 15 or more. Scramjets have an advantage over rockets in that they use oxygen from the atmosphere, so no heavy liquid-oxygen tanks are required. Also, scramjets can be throttled back and flown more like an airplane, unlike rockets, which tend to produce nearly or full thrust all the time.
The scramjet engine design has no moving parts. The forward speed of the aircraft itself, enhanced by the shape of the nose, compresses a stream of air that is channeled into the engine, where it mixes with gaseous hydrogen fuel -- there are no fan blades that compress the air, as in a normal jet engine. In a scramjet engine, the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. NASA says such a design may be capable of flying at Mach 15 or more. Scramjets have an advantage over rockets in that they use oxygen from the atmosphere, so no heavy liquid-oxygen tanks are required. Also, scramjets can be throttled back and flown more like an airplane, unlike rockets, which tend to produce nearly or full thrust all the time.
Editorial StaffAVweb
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