'Zhest' Hypersonic Plane To Carry Passengers At Mach 4, Do London To Sydney In 3.5 Hours
...by 2050.
The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), which owns Airbus, claims they could have a Mach-4 traveling airplane in the skies by 2050 that could fly passengers around the globe at over 3,000MPH while shitting their pants like babies.
The plane - named "zero emission hypersonic transportation" (ZEHST) - would take off from a standard runway, and carry up to 100 passengers above the atmosphere, cruising at 3,125mph - more than four times the speed of sound (Mach 4).
While the plane is still at concept stage and will require huge funding to get it off the ground, EADS says demonstration flights could be happening as early as 2020.
EADS says the plane would be virtually emission-free, as it would be powered by sea-weed based biofuels, hydrogen and oxygen, producing only water emissions.
Okay, the Mach-4 thing I can believe, but zero-emissions running on sea-weed? How about we build some regular planes that do that first? That would be like, a small step. Or, should a say, a giant leap? See what I did there? Space talk, yo. GW to moonbase alpha -- fire the LOLserbeams.
Hit the jump for a conceptual video about the plane.
London to Sydney in 3.5 hours: hypersonic plane could be a reality by 2050 [terminalu]
Thanks to Staticwolf, who's cool riding an immobile canine.
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