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Rocket Planes

This century has seen dramatic advances in aviation. The airplane has evolved in a continuous progression towards designs that fly higher, farther, and faster. At the close of World War II, aeronautical engineers had yet to build planes capable of exceeding the speed of sound. The technological innovations employed in the Xseries rocket planes, however, not only conquered sound barrier, but achieved a great deal as well.

During World War II, combat pilots making power dives found that their planes began buffeting and their controls began to freeze up as they approached the speed of sound (Josephy, Jr. 383). This problem arose because of the compressibility of air. When a plane flies at that speed (approximately 760 miles per hour at sea level or Mach 1.0), the air particles ahead do not have time to change position and follow the shape of the oncoming wings or fuselage. Instead, they are compressed into a shock wave, or wall of "thick" air (Josephy, Jr. 383). This phenomenon creates unique problems for aeronautical engineers (Blacker 23). As a result, the "sound barrier" has always held a special significance for aviators and airplane designers.

In 1944, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the Army, and the Navy began both independent and cooperative programs to develop highaltitude and highspeed vehicles (Von Braun 203). Starting with the wartime MX324, the services advanced to the more advanced MX653, which led to the XS1 (later the X1) rocket plane (Von Braun 203). The basic goal, laid down in preliminary form in March 1944, called for a oneman, rocketpowered aircraft that could exceed the speed of sound in level flight (Von Braun 203).

The X1 program was managed by the Air Force (Von Braun 203). Air Force officials decided to have Bell Aircraft Company build the XS1 airframe and Reaction Motors build the plane's engine. The engine was to consist of a 6,000poundthrust,...

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Rocket Planes. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 06:17, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1693032.html