Purdue wind tunnel key for 'hypersonic vehicles,' future space planes

Purdue doctoral student Matthew P. Borg holds a model of an advanced aircraft called the X-51A, which will be powered by engines called scramjets and capable of flying at Mach 6, or six times the speed of sound. Purdue engineers, using the only wind tunnel capable of running quietly at "hypersonic" speeds, have conducted experiments to yield data critical for the vehicle's design. The researchers, led by Steven Schneider, are reporting the first major findings from the quiet wind tunnel after about 18 years of research to perfect the facility, which will be used to analyze the performance of hypersonic vehicles. Credit: Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger