HYPERSONIC PROPULSION.

Research at NASA on vehicles and propulsion systems for hypersonic flight in the atmosphere is aimed at providing viable technological options for future civil and military applications. Within the uncertain framework of social, economic, defense, and environmental issues, a wide spectrum of possibilities exists. It is imperative, therefore, that key technologies be pursued that can provide the alternatives when they are required. This paper discusses the current NASA program in hypersonic propulsion. The program is first put into context by a brief discussion of past and other ongoing scramjet programs. The status of the research is then discussed; and emphasis is given to component development, computational methods, and preliminary ground tests at Mach 4 and 7 of subscale scramjet engine modules.