During an aerospace engineer's undergraduate studies, he or she will attend classes in aerodynamics, thermodynamics, structures, stability and control, dynamics, design, propulsion, and computer science, along with the related courses in mathematics, physics, statistics, and chemistry required to understand the material. Upon graduation, the new engineer will have acquired a basic knowledge of how to build an aerospace vehicle. What only comes through experience, however, is the understanding of the inevitable imperfect process through which an aerospace vehicle is built. This is the adventure of turning a basic concept into functional hardware. Engineers working on a project must often deal with ambiguous situations. They are routinely asked by management to provide risk assessments of a project, yet even after careful analysis uncertainties remain. The project must be accomplished within finite limits of time and money. The question an engineer answers is whether the solution to potential problem is worth the cost and schedule delay, or if the solution might actually be worse than the problem it is meant to solve. Review protocols are established to ensure that an unknown has not been overlooked. But these cannot protect against an unknown unknown.

Since the founding of the Dryden Flight Research Center History Office in 1996, its staff has conducted nearly a hundred interviews with retired and serving employees. Their recollections represent a unique resource in understanding the development of aerospace technology in the second half of the 20th century. Their personal experiences, insights, and opinions allow the reader to gain an understanding into what it was actually like to have been involved with some of the milestone events in aerospace history. These interviews have been edited and assembled into this monograph, so that a wider audience can also share in their experiences. This study covers the early years of what eventually became the Dryden Flight Research Center. It spans the period between the arrival of Walter Williams and the first group of NACA engineers at Muroc in 1946, and ends with the establishment of NASA in 1958. This timeframe encompasses the breaking of the sound barrier, the pivotal inertial coupling research, the first use of computer simulations, the transformation of the NACA facility from a pair of old hangars into a state-of-the-art research center, and the dawn of the space age. These events took place against the background of the end of World War II, the start of the Cold War, and the twin technological revolutions of jet propulsion and supersonic flight. They are told by the people who participated in these events, in their own words.

During an aerospace engineer's undergraduate studies, he or she will attend classes in aerodynamics, thermodynamics, structures, stability and control, dynamics, design, propulsion, and computer science, along with the related courses in mathematics, physics, statistics, and chemistry required to understand the material. Upon graduation, the new engineer will have acquired a basic knowledge of how to build an aerospace vehicle.

The United States military space program began at the end of World War II when a few people realized that space flight was now achievable and could be employed to military advantage. Science and technology in the form of advance radar, jet propulsion, ballistic rockets such as the V-2, and nuclear energy had dramatically altered the nature of war. Army Air Forces Commanding General Henry Arnold wrote in November 1845 that a space ship "is all but practicable today" and could be build "within the foreseeable future" The following month the Air Force Scientific Advisory Group concluded that long-range rockets were technically feasible and that satellites were a "definite possibility."

First published in 2003 as volume 30 in the NASA "Monograph in Aerospace History" series. This study contains photographs and illustrations.

First published in 2003 as volume 30 in the NASA "Monograph in Aerospace History" series. This study contains photographs and illustrations.

Eleven Seconds into the Unknown: A History of the Hyper-X Program is a sequel to the author's first book on the X-43A/Hyper-X project, Road to Mach 10: Lessons Learned from the X-43A Flight Research Program. The Hyper-X program involved the efforts of numerous governmental and commercial organizations, each with its own culture, experience, and tradition. A central theme of the Hyper-X story is how these disparate groups and organizations became a unified team working toward a common goal. Making the team's task more difficult was the technological, political, and funding challenges during nearly fifty years of scramjet development. Eleven Seconds into the Unknown: A History of the Hyper-X Program addresses these issues in compelling fashion, and will appeal to anyone interested in high-speed flight, aerospace history, the organization and management of technological projects, and the future of spaceflight.

This is the first full-length history of the X-43 project, written by the project historian at Dryden Flight Research Center. The project achieved the first in-flight testing of a scramjet engine, at speeds of nearly Mach 7 and Mach 10.The author recorded the history as it was taking place. He received updates and documents, attended the engineering meetings, witnessed the emergency procedure training of the flight controllers, was at the flight readiness review and preflight briefings, and watched the third flight from one of the control rooms. After the third flight, he interviewed many of the X-43A engineers and managers about their still-fresh experiences and recollections.Based on that exclusive access, the book illustrates - with real-world examples - how groundbreaking technology unfolds. It details the development of the scramjet over the last half-century, providing the reader with an understanding of how external factors influence a new technology.The book begins with the invention of the scramjet concept, and then details the projects of the 1960s through the 1980s and why they failed.It describes how the X-43 developed from these events, and follows the transformation from the original idea through hardware development and testing, the loss of the first vehicle, the return to flight, and the success of the second and third flights, and explains what was accomplished.The book is written with the engineering student in mind, to provide an understanding of what they will experience once they join the work force. Flight enthusiasts will love the photos and videos documenting this exciting program. This volume was produced in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.