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Discovery: Beyond The Abyss: Hypersonic Flight

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02/01/2012 GMT

Hypersonic Flight

Beyond The Abyss

BBC World Service - Discovery, Beyond The Abyss, Hypersonic FlightSearch BBC

Gareth Mitchell asks how near we are to achieving hypersonic flight.

Flying at many times the speed of sound has been an elusive goal of aeronautical engineers for many years. Gareth Mitchell looks at how near we are to achieving hypersonic flight.

For more than half a century aeronautical engineers have been working on the dream of hypersonic passenger flight. 

London to Sydney in four hours is an often cited goal. 

In Discovery Gareth Mitchell looks not at the past history of hypersonics, but at current developments. 

He meets engineers working on the propulsion systems and developing new materials specifically for hypersonic flight. 

Technologies which could be one applied to space craft as well as aeroplanes.

Discovery: Beyond The Abyss

BBC World Service

Meet the new wave of explorers who are are racing to go back to the deepest place on Earth

After more than 50 years, a new wave of explorers are racing to go back to the Mariana Trench, the deepest place on the planet.

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