New
York Times: Yesterday a test run of an experimental
aircraft ended abruptly when it crashed in the Pacific Ocean.
Funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the
Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2, capable of flying at 13
000 mph, is the fastest aircraft ever built. It is part of a
project designed to provide the US with a vehicle that can
carry out a military strike anywhere in the world within an
hour. Launched aboard a rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base
near Los Angeles, the Falcon successfully separated from the
booster, attained the desired trajectory, and managed to
collect nine minutes of data before contact with it was lost.
Despite the modest flight time, officials deemed the test a
success.
