Hyper-X flight engine ground testing for flight risk reduction

Abstract

Airframe-integrated scramjet engine testing has been completed at Mach 7 flight conditions in the NASA Langley 8-foot High Temperature Tunnel as part of the NASA Hyper-X program. This test provided engine performance and operability data, as well as design and database verification, for the Mach 7 flight tests of the Hyper-X research vehicle, which will provide the first-ever airframe-integrated scramjet data in flight. The Hyper-X Flight Engine, a duplicate Mach 7 scramjet engine for flight, was mounted on an airframe structure that replicated the entire three-dimensional propulsion flowpath from the vehicle leading edge to the vehicle trailing edge. This model was also tested to verify and validate the complete flightlike engine system. The subsystems that were subjected to flightlike conditions are described, and supporting data are presented. The results from this test help to reduce risk for the Mach 7 flights of the Hyper-X research vehicle.