Quote:
Originally posted by ruiner,
they arent new, the british were testing them in 2001. they have too many problems to be used realisitically. for a start they dont kick in until you are already at a high velocity, and they eat up hydrogen very quickly. it was just a PR stunt by nasa |
I don't think it was a PR stunt, but there are a lot of problems to be worked out beside the engine itself. Drag is a big problem, as those little air molecules can smack into a plane at M5 and create a lot of heat, and the engine burns super hot as well. On the plus side, the cops would never come close to catching the old Taurus, but on the negative side, the Taurus would melt causing a problem with its resale value.