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X-43A flight rehearsal postponed NASA-DFRC NEWS RELEASE Posted: September 12, 2004 The captive carry flight of NASA's X-43A hypersonic research aircraft scheduled for Sept. 7 has been delayed due to hydraulic leakage on the B-52B launch airplane. This captive carry flight is basically a dress rehearsal for the planned free flight later this fall that is targeted to reach a speed of up to Mach 10, or about 7,000 mph. The captive flight duplicates all operational functions of the planned Mach 10 flight and serves as a training exercise for staff, except that the X-43A and its modified Pegasus booster is not released from the launch aircraft. Although the leaking hydraulic system is being replaced, scheduling conflicts with the U.S. Navy's test range over the Pacific Ocean could force postponement of the captive carry flight for several days or weeks. No new flight date has yet been scheduled. The X-43A is powered by a revolutionary supersonic-combustion ramjet - or "scramjet" - engine. It is part of the Hyper-X hypersonic research program, a joint effort of NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., and Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. |
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On Friday, Sept. 10, officials hold a news conference from Utah to update reporters on the recovery operations to salvage the Genesis sample return mission. (44min 47sec file)
Workers recover the Genesis solar wind samples from the impact crater and take the equipment into a facility for examination. (2min 08sec file)
Martin Wilson, manager of the Thermal Protection System Facility, gives a tour of the highly damaged building at Kennedy Space Center in the wake of Hurricane Frances. (2min 31sec file)
Go inside Kennedy Space Center's hurricane-battered Vehicle Assembly Building and also see the damage to the 52-story tall facility's roof. (2min 51sec file)