Throttle Back Those Hypersonic Dreams

This morning, DARPA’s Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 was successfully launched over the Pacific on its second test flight. It separated from its booster, went into glide mode at the edge of space, bound for Mach 20, and … nothing. Sadly, much like the first test flight in April 2010, the aircraft stopped sending back data and headed to a watery grave. Hey, if it were easy, it wouldn’t require advanced research.