Team prepares for scramjet tests

The University of Queensland HyShot™ team is bunkered down at Woomera range this week ready for two Defence-managed experimental flights of scramjet technology scheduled for Saturday, March 25 and Tuesday, March 28.

Thirteen team members, friends and supporters, a contingent of US personnel including from DTI Associates Inc. and White Sands, visiting media, as well as representatives of British firm, QinetiQ, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) have boosted population numbers in Woomera this month for the launch campaign.

The contingent of 90 at the Woomera range includes personnel from the Directorate of Trials (DTRIALS), and the Aerospace Operational Support Group (AOSG) Range Operations Branch.

After several years’ preparation for the flight campaign, team members and their research partners were pleased to have the green light to fly once they knew the two Terrier-Orion rockets on which the scramjet payloads are attached, had safely left the U.S. for Australia.

This week it was announced JAXA has gifted its $2 million advanced launcher to UQ for peaceful scientific experiments, such as those to further scramjet technology.

HyShot™ program leader Professor Allan Paull thanked the Woomera community and partner organisations for being such great supporters of the program over the past five years of flight campaigns.

UQ HyShot™ team members include Professor Paull, his brother, Dr Ross Paull, father Bert Paull, Dr Hans Alesi, Associate Professor Michael Smart, Myles Frost, Lisa Jensen, Chieko Kuramoto, Joe Gisa and four postgraduate students with a hands-on study opportunity of a lifetime — Dillon Hunt, Mark Bateup, Rainer Kirchhartz and Samantha Coras. An additional postgraduate student from Germany, Thomas Jaszra will observe at the launches.

NOTE:

The University of Queensland’s Centre for Hypersonics has the largest concentration of hypersonics researchers in the southern hemisphere. Hypersonics is the study of speeds Mach 5 and above. UQ has been developing scramjets for the past 25 years with funding from Australian, U.S., Japanese and German sources.

QinetiQ is one of Europe`s largest research organisations. Among its 11,500 staff, are scientists and engineers who lead their field and are internationally acclaimed experts. As its predecessor organisation, DERA, its pioneering research and development last century included the invention of liquid crystal displays (LCDs), carbon fibre, the technology for flat panel speakers, infra-red sensors and microwave radar.

Media: Further information, Jan King UQ Communications +61 413 601 248, j.king@uq.edu.au, Christopher Moseley, QinetiQ Press Office, +44 (0) 1252 395559, cgmoseley@qinetiq.com

Images: http://omc.uq.edu.au/images/HyShot2006/ (2006 flights) http://omc.uq.edu.au/images/HyShot2002/ (2002 flight)