As with everything in today’s world, the idea of getting things done immediately brings us great joy. Connecting to the internet through a minute-long annoying beep drove us nuts. Sending letters to our families the old-fashioned way could sometimes take days. And as our poor ancestors knew, traveling from one city to another by horse took forever (and a day). Fast-forward to 2015 and a trip from Detroit to Florida takes about two hours, considering you are lucky enough to not have to deal with any layovers.
Engineers today are working on a supersonic airplane that could potentially carry passengers from New York to London in thirty minutes. Imagine being able to cross the Ocean and be eating fish and chips in thirty minutes! The designers of the concept, Charles Bombardier, and Ray Mattison call their airplane the “Skreemr.” Completely contrary to typical airplanes, the design does not have any moving parts. The engine uses oxygen from the outside atmosphere. So, you may be asking yourself, what could possibly go wrong with the “screamjet” concept?
First, heat. When objects move at such incredible speeds, they cannot handle the heat output. Imagine running at Mach speeds, your entire body would go up in flames (probably, I’ve never tried it)! Second, the “Skreemr” would be passing the sound barrier, which would result in a sonic boom. These booms could be very disruptive to people caught under the path of the jet and cause damage to buildings. However, on this point specifically, the designers have an electric start system in mind. The electric-start would ignite liquid oxygen and kerosene, helping the jet get to the point where the screamjet takes over. Finally, and most importantly, making these jets commercially-available is a financial nightmare. These jets are beyond expensive to design and the overall costs are mammoth.
Unfortunately, we are a long ways away from concepts like this going commercial. But, the mere fact that designs are coming out excites the mind!
Thanks to CNN for the story.
