Hypersonic flight is flight through the atmosphere at speeds above about Mach 5.5, a speed where disassociation of air begins to become significant and high heat loads exist.
Hypersonic flight has been achieved by the Space Shuttle's orbiter, the Apollo command module, Buran and scramjets.
Read more about Hypersonic Flight: History, Proposed Hypersonic Aircraft, Cancelled Hypersonic Aircraft
Famous quotes containing the word flight:
“No Raven’s wing can stretch the flight so far
As the torn bandrols of Napoleon’s war.
Choose then your climate, fix your best abode,
He’ll make you deserts and he’ll bring you blood.
How could you fear a dearth? have not mankind,
Tho slain by millions, millions left behind?
Has not conscription still the power to weild
Her annual faulchion o’er the human field?
A faithful harvester!”
—Joel Barlow (1754–1812)