Hypersonic Spy Plane In Works For Lockheed Martin, Aerojet

About 15 years ago, the United States military retired the SR-71 Blackbird, a spy plane capable of reaching speeds up to Mach 3.5 and flying from New York to London in less than two hours. Recently, Lockheed Martin has announced plans for the aircraft's successor. With the help of Aerojet Rocketdyne, the SR-72 will not only shatter the limits established by the Blackbird, but also not require the control of an on-board pilot. [1][2]

A concept drawing of the SR-72, projected for flight in 2030. [3]

The SR-72 is under development by Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Programs (ADP), also known as Skunk Works. Its main innovation will be its unprecedented speed, with the plane expected to reach speeds up to Mach 6, or 7,350 kilometers per hour (4,567 mph). This level of speed would be enough to traverse a continent in around an hour, with a trip around the Earth clocking in at only 6 hours. This speed would make the plane an incredible reconnaissance weapon for the United States, allowing them to observe or attack any location around the world in mere hours. In addition, the SR-72 will operate at an altitude of 24,300 meters (80,000 feet), making it very difficult for enemies to knock it out of the sky. Though the development plan includes an option for a pilot to fly the aircraft, the ultimate goal is for the SR-72 to be completely unmanned. Its speed would allow it to carry weapons such as missiles without boosters, which would significantly reduce weight. Not only that, the plane's speed would allow it to strike before a target can find it and sufficiently react. [2][4][5]

There is but one problem for this project: the technology to reach speeds of Mach 6 has not yet been developed. Turbofan engines that are found in typical airliners can only efficiently operate up to Mach 2.5, while ramjet engines can only reach Mach 4, and not efficiently.  However, Lockheed believes they have found a solution by joining forces with Aerojet Rocketdyne. The idea is to create a turbine/supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) hybrid engine of sorts. The scramjet, as the name implies, uses super-compressed air with fuel to propel aircraft at supersonic speeds. The only drawback is that at lower speeds, the engine won't receive the compressed air it needs to operate. This is where the conventional turbine engine would come in. The turbine jet engine, which operates at speeds from zero to Mach 3, would share the inlet and nozzle with the scramjet and handle the initial ignition and acceleration. Once the aircraft reaches the upper limit of the turbine engine and the compressed air is created, some sort of mechanical device would switch the airflow to the scramjet, which would propel the plane to the desired hypersonic speed. [2][4]

A diagram and explanation of the proposed hybrid engine that would power the SR-72 to speeds of Mach 6. [6]

Though Lockheed Martin has confirmed that development of the SR-72 has begun, the project is still only in the concept stages and hasn't even received funding yet. Thus, we are years away from seeing even a physical prototype. A piloted scale version is expected to be constructed in 2018 and flight tested by 2023. If all goes according to schedule, the SR-72 will be completely built, tested, and approved for military use by 2030. Though it will be almost 20 years before the project sees real use, if it succeeds and the hybrid engine can indeed propel the aircraft to speeds of Mach 6, the SR-72 can be a real intelligence weapon in the future for the United States.[2]

Sources:
[1] Broge, Jean L. "SR-72 Flies into 21st Century at Mach 6." SAE International. SAE International, 24 Nov. 2013. <http://articles.sae.org/12619/>.
[2] Anthony, Sebastian. "Lockheed Unveils SR-72 Hypersonic Mach 6 Scramjet Spy Plane." ExtremeTech. N.p., 6 Nov. 2013.<http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/170463-lockheed-unveils-sr-72-hypersonic-mach-6-scramjet-spy-plane>.
[3] <http://www.extremetech.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/SR-72-640x353.jpg>
[4] Atherton, Kelsey D. "Lockheed Martin Is Developing A Hypersonic Spy Plane." Popular Science. Popular Science, 4 Nov. 2013. <http://www.popsci.com/article/technology/lockheed-martin-developing-hypersonic-spy-plane>.
[5] Norris, Guy. "Exclusive: Skunk Works Reveals SR-71 Successor Plan." Exclusive: Skunk Works Reveals SR-71 Successor Plan. Aviation Week, 1 Nov. 2013. <http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/awx_11_01_2013_p0-632731.xml>.
[6] <http://www.extremetech.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/sr72_big-640x452.jpg>

SpaceX Breaks New Ground With Recent Satellite Launch

While NASA made recent news with the launch of its MAVEN satellite to Mars, space transport company SpaceX has made strides towards goals of their own in the past month. Just last week, their Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched with the intent of placing a commercial satellite in a geostationary orbit, higher than the company has ever carried a payload before. With this milestone, SpaceX is putting itself in position to carry the commercial space industry in the near future.

The Falcon 9 rocket carrying the SES-8 satellite launches from Cape Canaveral, FL on December 3, 2013. [2]

The Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida on December 3 at 5:41 pm ET, carrying with it the SES-8 telecommunications satellite. The satellite, weighing 2,138 kilograms (6,918 pounds), was launched to provide television and broadband signals to customers for SES, a telecommunications company based in Luxembourg. This was actually the third attempt to launch the satellite, after technical problems scrapped the first two launches, which took place the week of Thanksgiving. The first try, which occurred on November 25, was cancelled due to abnormal pressure readings in the liquid oxygen system of the first stage rockets prior to launch. The company tried to launch again on Thanksgiving day, but computers again detected a problem as the thrust ramp was slower than expected. To be safe, SpaceX stopped the launch again and re-inspected its nine engines. Later on, founder Elon Musk stated that the problem was an "oxygen contamination in igniters containing TEA-TEB." As a safety precaution, the gas generator in the rocket's central engine was replaced for the third attempt. [1][3][4]

With the successful launch in the third attempt, SpaceX inserted the satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit which reaches altitudes between 295 kilometers (183 miles) and  80,000 kilometers (49,700 miles). Within two weeks, the satellite will stabilize at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers (22,000 miles). In geostationary orbits, the orbital period is equal to that of the rotational period of the Earth, thus allowing the satellite to remain "fixed" in its location relative to the Earth. With the ability to reach these orbits proven by the Falcon 9 launch, SpaceX can now offer its services to the expansive military and commercial launch markets. The company's specific target is the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program, which launches security satellites for the United States government and has long been provided by the United Launch Alliance, a joint effort between Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The launch of the SES satellite was the second of three launches SpaceX needs to successfully accomplish to certify the Falcon 9 for the EELV program, with the first taking place in late September. [1][5][6]

Patch commemorating the SpaceX mission. [7]

With the Falcon 9 well on its way to certification for national launch programs, SpaceX is nearing its goal of becoming a major factor in the commercial space industry.

Sources:
[1]Boyle, Alan. "Third Time's the Charm: SpaceX Launches Big Commercial Satellite." NBC News. N.p., 3 Dec. 2013.<http://www.nbcnews.com/science/third-times-charm-spacex-launches-big-commercial-satellite-2D11655907>.

[2]<http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/4c67eefb93960f7d91d36d555c48ddb3641fcf98/c=88-0-3903-2868&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/USATODAY/test/2013/12/04//1386161746000-spacex-.jpg>

[3]Chang, Jon M. "SpaceX's First Commercial Launch: Third Time Is a Charm." ABC News. ABC News Network, 3 Dec. 2013. <http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/spacexs-commercial-launch-time-charm/story?id=21069734>.

[4]Manning, Craig. "Report: SpaceX Rocket Launch Delayed Due to Thrust Glitch."Natmonitor.com. National Monitor, 30 Nov. 2013. <http://natmonitor.com/2013/11/30/report-spacex-rocket-launch-delayed-due-to-thrust-glitch/>.

[5]"Geostationary Orbit." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Aug. 2013.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geostationary_orbit>.

[6]Hennigan, W. J December. "SpaceX Reaches Milestone in Rocket Launch from Cape Canaveral." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 03 Dec. 2013.<http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-spacex-rocket-launch-20131204,0,5831669.story>.

[7]<http://s1.ibtimes.com/sites/www.ibtimes.com/files/styles/v2_article_large/public/2013/12/02/spacex-ses-8-launch-patch.png>

MAVEN Embarks to Study Climate Change on Mars

On November 18, NASA commenced its latest mission to Mars with the launch of the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Together with the Curiosity rover already operating on the Martian surface, MAVEN is intended to give scientists a clearer picture of the history of climate change on the red planet.

A rendering of the MAVEN spacecraft orbiting Mars [1]

According to NASA, the purpose of the MAVEN mission is to "study the nature of the

red planet’s upper atmosphere, how solar activity contributes to atmospheric loss, and the role that escape of gas from the atmosphere to space has played through time." While the Curiosity rover, which launched in November 2011 and has been active on the surface of Mars since landing in August 2012, is investigating the Martian soil and the atmosphere near the surface, MAVEN is designed to orbit the planet and collect its data from the upper reaches of the planet's atmosphere. From previous ventures to Mars, it has been shown that Mars likely held liquid water on its surface and its atmosphere was once dense and enriching. However, this water has since disappeared and the atmosphere eroded, leaving the barren desert planet that exists today. MAVEN has been sent to give a clearer picture of how this decline happened by measuring the current state of Mars's atmosphere and ionosphere and how it interacts with solar wind. It will also measure how quickly neutral gases and ions are escaping to space and the ratio of stable isotopes. From this information, scientists will be able to infer what climate changes impacted the planet. [2][3][4]

MAVEN's main payload consists of eight instruments created by three separate organizations from across the United States. The biggest contribution comes in the Particles and Fields Package (PFP) provided by the University of California Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory, which makes up six of the eight instruments on the satellite. They include: 

the Solar Wind Electron Analyzer (SWEA), which will measure the solar wind (a stream of particles from the atmosphere of the Sun) and the electrons in Mars's ionosphere; 

Solar Wind Electron Analyzer [5]

the Solar Wind Ion Analyzer (SWIA), which will measure the solar wind, ion density, and ion velocity in the magnetosheath of Mars (a region of space just inside a planet's magnetosphere);

Solar Wind Ion Analyzer [6]

the SupraThermal and Thermal Ion Composition (STATIC) instrument, which will enable measurement of ions in Mars's atmosphere;

SupraThermal and Thermal Ion Composition instrument [7]

the Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) instrument, which will determine the impact of solar wind on the studied atmosphere of Mars;

Solar Energetic Particle instrument [8]

the Langmuir Probe and Waves (LPW) instrument, which will measure thermal electron density and temperature and measure the extreme ultraviolet input to the atmosphere;

Langmuir Probe and Waves instrument [9]

the Magnetometer (MAG), which will measure interplanetary solar wind and the magnetic fields of Mars. [4]

Magnetometer [10]

The second contribution is the Remote Sensing  Package (RSP) constructed by the University of Colorado Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. This package consists of only one instrument, the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS). This instrument will use remote sensors to compile the global characteristics of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere of Mars. [4]

Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph [11]

Finally, the third contribution is the Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer (NGIMS) Package built by the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. This package is also one instrument, the spectrometer itself, which will measure the composition and isotopes of neutral gases and ions in Mars's atmosphere. [4]

Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer [12]

Although the government shutdown in October threatened to push the mission out of its launch window and into a delay of more than two years, MAVEN was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral on November 18 using an United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. It is projected to reach the Martian atmosphere in September of next year. Once it has reached its destination, it will enter a 5 week test period to enter its proper elliptical orbit and test the instruments and scientific procedures. At its lowest point, the spacecraft will be 150 kilometers (93 miles) above the surface of the planet and can directly sample the gas and ions in the upper atmosphere. Its highest point will be a distance of more than 6000 kilometers (3728 miles) and allow for ultraviolet imaging of the planet. Over the course of its primary mission, which will last one Earth year, MAVEN will drop altitude five times to take measurements down to 125 kilometers (77 miles) above the surface to maximize the profile of the atmosphere. [2][4][13]

The Atlas V rocket carrying MAVEN launches from Cape Canaveral on November 18, 2013 [14]

With the Curiosity rover taking measurements on the ground and MAVEN conducting experiments from the reaches of the upper atmosphere, NASA hopes that they will soon gain a much better understanding of the climate changes that sucked the vital signs of life from Mars. 

Sources:
[1]<http://i.space.com/images/i/000/032/188/i02/MAVEN-orbit-full1.jpg?1377661944>
[2] "MAVEN NASAFacts." Web. <http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/maven/files/2012/11/MAVEN-HQ_FactSheet.pdf>.
[3]"Curiosity NASAFacts." Web. <http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/fact_sheets/mars-science-laboratory.pdf>.
[4]"MAVEN." MAVEN Features News. University of Colorado Boulder Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. Web. <http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/maven/>.
[5]<http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/maven/files/2012/02/SWEA5_full.jpg>
[6]<http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/maven/files/2012/02/SWIA5_full.jpg>
[7]<http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/maven/files/2012/02/STATIC5_full.jpg>
[8]<http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/maven/files/2011/03/SEP_full.jpg>
[9]<http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/maven/files/2011/08/LPW-EUV.jpg>
[10]<http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/maven/files/2011/03/MAG_full.jpg>
[11]<http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/maven/files/2013/04/MAVEN-Remote-Sensing-Package.jpg>
[12]<http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/maven/files/2013/04/NGIMS_full_integrated.jpg>
[13]Elliot, Danielle. "Government Shutdown Could Delay NASA's Mars MAVEN Mission to 2017." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 2 Oct. 2013. Web. <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/government-shutdown-could-delay-nasas-mars-maven-mission-to-2017/>.
[14]<http://i.space.com/images/i/000/034/555/original/maven-launch-atlas-v-2.jpg?1384884349>