ZQA297/30
31st Mar 2002, 23:08
1 April 2002. Burbank California
Under development for several years in the skunk works, the L-3011 MachStar is designed to cruise at almost Mach 3 carrying 388 passengers. It will enter service in June 2004
The secret of economical supersonic flight is in cheap fuel, using liquid methane stored in a metal matrix at almost room temperature and pressure.
Lockheed's discovery was the serendipitous fallout from research into room temperature metal superconductivity that was intended to solve the Kapton wiring problem.
It was found that certain relatively common metals can experience a phase change when exposed to neutron radiation in the presence of marsh gas.
These "metha-metals" store up to 400 times their weight in methane gas, thus solving the previously insurmountable fuel cost problem of supersonic flight.
A quarter scale proof of concept aircraft has been flying for nearly a year out of an unnamed airfield in the west, and Lockheed engineers are confident that they can meet the design parameters of the full sized prototype, which is nearing completion.
"The biggest problem we have is a suitably large supply of methane, and the exhaust, which is quite smelly."
Quipped one engineer, "the age of horsepower is over, it is now time for bull power.
We think that with American Ingenuity we can come up with an adequate supply of bull."
Many experts agree.
Under development for several years in the skunk works, the L-3011 MachStar is designed to cruise at almost Mach 3 carrying 388 passengers. It will enter service in June 2004
The secret of economical supersonic flight is in cheap fuel, using liquid methane stored in a metal matrix at almost room temperature and pressure.
Lockheed's discovery was the serendipitous fallout from research into room temperature metal superconductivity that was intended to solve the Kapton wiring problem.
It was found that certain relatively common metals can experience a phase change when exposed to neutron radiation in the presence of marsh gas.
These "metha-metals" store up to 400 times their weight in methane gas, thus solving the previously insurmountable fuel cost problem of supersonic flight.
A quarter scale proof of concept aircraft has been flying for nearly a year out of an unnamed airfield in the west, and Lockheed engineers are confident that they can meet the design parameters of the full sized prototype, which is nearing completion.
"The biggest problem we have is a suitably large supply of methane, and the exhaust, which is quite smelly."
Quipped one engineer, "the age of horsepower is over, it is now time for bull power.
We think that with American Ingenuity we can come up with an adequate supply of bull."
Many experts agree.