X-51A hits Mach Six!

The X-51A, an unmanned test aircraft using scramjet technology hit Mach 6 (six times the speed of sound) and stayed there for 200 seconds on May 26, 2010!  That is a far cry from what the X-15 managed forty years ago!  The X-51 stayed above Mach 6 for an astonishing 200 seconds...Which means it traveled over 220 miles in that time!

The experiment was carried out from a B-52 bomber rigged for the job.  It was fired out over the Pacific.  The flight was terminated when the vehicle began decelerating.

for more information, you can go here, here, and here.

This isn't about Washington, but it's darned interesting, so I am sure you won't mind.

That's an Air Force picture, borrowed from cnet.

August 15, 1945

A couple months ago, I acquired this newspaper. most fascinating, isn't it?

Sixty-four years ago, this is what was in our local newspaper. Note the sinking of the Indinapolis was no small story. Still, in the lower part of the page is a story that is of interest to me and you and anyone else tht reads this site. See, to the lower left? Where it says "Navy Flier Dies In Valley Crash?"

Now, I am still awaiting the accident report from the Navy, but they are, apparently, in the midst of a move and it may be awhile before the files I have requested can be sent to me. Still, it is an interesting find, don't you think?

Navy Ship Aground, Honolulu

So, someone is going to lose out on promotions....I only post this because the Port Royal(CG-73) is a sister ship of the one I had such a difficult time identifying at Bremerton. And because...well, avy ships don't ground often so when they do it's news. There have been some notable ones, too. For instance the USS Missouri in the 1950s(?). I got this story from Charter News.

Navy warship runs aground near Honolulu airportSaturday, February 7, 2009 5:04 AM EST The Associated Press
HONOLULU (AP) — The Navy hopes a high tide due to reach Hawaii early Saturday will enable it to refloat a 9,600-ton warship that ran aground about a half mile off seaside Honolulu International Airport.
An initial effort by Navy tugs early Friday to free the guided missile cruiser USS Port Royal was unsuccessful. The $1 billion ship ran aground Thursday night while carrying guests that included a rear admiral.
"We're certainly working on bringing to bear the resources we have to move her off the current position. We're still putting that plan together," said Capt. W. Scott Gureck, a spokesman for U.S. Pacific Fleet. "Obviously, the high tide gives us an opportunity to do that."
Divers and the salvage ship USS Salvor would try to tow the 567-foot vessel, the Navy said.
The cause of the grounding on the sandy bottom and the extent of damage to the vessel were under investigation.
"I'm not going to speculate on what happened," Gureck said.
The Port Royal left Pearl Harbor on Thursday for sea trials after being dry-docked for routine maintenance. The ship ran aground while shore-based officials were being transferred to shore by small boat, the Navy said.
An oil recovery vessel, the Clean Islands, was positioned behind the warship as a precaution as the U.S. Coast Guard monitored the situation.
"We know that there is no oil spill at this point, and we're confident the Navy is doing everything it can," Coast Guard Lt. John Titchen said.
Commissioned in 1994, the Port Royal has a crew of about 360. The crew stayed aboard the ship, along with Navy officials such as Rear Adm. Dixon R. Smith, commander Navy Region Hawaii and Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific.