Scramjets, also known as supersonic combustion ramjet engines, are airbreathing aircraft in which combustion takes place in supersonic airflow. Air is forced at supersonic speed into the front of the engine where hydrogen is injected and compressed, causing ignition to occur. Enormous thrust will then be generated through the subsequent gas explosion and funneling.
Conceptually, a scramjet could travel at more than Mach 10, which is about 10 times the speed of sound through Earth’s atmosphere, or 7,605 miles per hour. At this hypersonic speed, we can travel between Hong Kong and London in about one hour. Overseas friends and family can get to see each other more often and the world will become smaller and smaller.
The scramjet technology is currently being tested for military purposes. However, it may not be commercially viable in the very near future because it is quite unknown to what effects it may bring to humans when travelling at that speed. Furthermore, the fuel costs may be too exorbitant to make economic sense, therefore posing itself a major roadblock to further development.
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