the spy plane Auora

[iluveagles]

So you are saying that, an extremely low ratio, almost 1:1 would make no difference in speed? I don't see how that works............if you match the thrust to weight, how would that make no difference in thrust?

[valkyrian]

1/1 T/W ratio is very very good thing to have. 

Maximum speed is a matter between aerodynamic drag - engine power and far far less a matter of weight.

Maximum speed occurs in level flight, and when an aircraft is flying horizontally, the weight, as a force, plays part only by a small portion of drag.

An F-16 has a far better T/W than the Mig25/31 SR-71 XB-70, yet it is  far more slower than all of them.

By the way, NASA has some wonderful schematics on such topics. Google for your self, they are very informative.


Anyway we went off topic. What's the conclusion, Aurora exists or not?

I would like to believe that such an aircraft exists. If Lockheed could build a mach 3 marvel in the 60's, i guess in the 80's a much more better spyplane could be built. All areas of technology ie propulsion, structures, aerodynamics, computer power you name it, have been improved by a factor of 10 to 1000000. The technology exists. The reason to build it existed,  in the 80's so why not? Although if it was reall, naturally it would overfly over Russia, China, etc, and some contacts with lets say Mig-25s or Mig-31s would have been made.

[iluveagles]

True, but in the end, proportionate to the specific aircraft, you get a better all around thrust capability with such a low T:W ratio...........anyway.......I mean think, if the SR-71 did have a higher T:W ratio, along with anything else nessecary, body strength w/e, would it not fly faster?

Well, the SR-71 never really came into much contact with Russian Migs, it was there and gone so quickly...........

See, I know we tried putting a nuclear reactor on a plane, what about plasma propulsion or ion propulsion engines? I have been looking into the topic about going to Mars, it was said that we have the technology to use a plasma propulsion engine to go to Mars in 40 days. If you do the math, Mars is 35 Million miles away, you would have to fly at 36,000mph, thats Mach 55.55....................

Now, I'm not saying we have an aircraft that can do this, but if we have the technology now, to do that, even though we have not done it yet..........who says the Aurora is not real and is not flying so fast that there is literally just a blip that flies across the radar scope?

So my conclusion is, that considering the 71 was retired, we must have replaced it with something, whether that be with Sat's or another plane who knows? The possibility exists though, that the Aurora or another aircraft like it is very real, and very fast.

[Raptor]

In my opinion, we can speculate. But then again, speculation was never too accurate when done without any solid proof at all.

If it's just a blip on the radar scope, can't they freeze the "image" then analyse it? I would think anything that top secret would be stealth...

iluveagles... Atmospheric re-entry speed isn't negligible either... The problem with your theory is that on the way to mars you'd have no air friction. And a quick boost in the direction is all it would take to get there. "an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force" or something like that... Just get out of earth's gravity's area of effect, do a five minute 150% power boost, and viola. Nonstop to mars.

[valkyrian]

Do i see Flash Gordon and evil Mig somewhere?

[Raptor]

What about Flash Gordon valk? 

[valkyrian]

Just joking Raptor. Since you mentioned about spaceships capable of travelling between Mars and earth.........

[Gripen]

Well, thats the game plan isnt it? Doesnt NASA/ESA want to be able to go to Mars and the moon continuosly in the next few decades?

[alyster]

Well Russia is blowing alot of smoke about going to Mars. I'm just not sure yet how much propaganda is in it.

[Gripen]

I thought Russia had pretty much stopped their space programs, I dont imagine that they would have the money to do what NASA/ESA are doing 

[Raptor]

iluveagles started the Mars thing.  I was just blowing his theory about how they could get to Mars at ridiculous speeds so they should be able to do it on earth. 

[shawn a]

Just a question here. I'm trying to phrase it right.
Orbital speed is roughly 17,000 mph, but there's no air up there, hence no friction heating of aircraft (spacecraft) skin. But 17,000 mph at sea level would really fry your eggs. I guess the question is where could Aurora fly (altitude-wise) and at what speed so that skin heating would not be such a big problem? It seems to me that there must be some altitude where there is enough "air" to support "flying" and combustion of fuel without carrying oxidizer, and at the same altitude, not so much "air" so that friction with it would cause structural heating problems at very high speeds. What altitude, and what speed?
Shawn A