NASA today convened a board to determine the cause of Saturday’s loss of the first X-43A unpiloted hypersonic research aircraft.

Gathering at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Calif., the board consists of members from other agency centers, including:

  • Robert Hughes, chairman, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.,
  • John J. Deily, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.,
  • Joseph J. Lackovich Jr., Kennedy Space Center, Fla.,
  • Victoria A. Regenie, Dryden Flight Research Center,
  • Luat T. Nguyen, Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.

    The mated X-43A and its booster rocket went out of control about eight seconds after ignition of the Pegasus motor during the June 2 launch over the Pacific Ocean off the California coast.

    The booster was intentionally destroyed using onboard flight-termination explosives, and fell safely in a cleared Navy sea range. There were no injuries and no damage to other aircraft or property.

    This mission was the first of three flights to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, “air-breathing” propulsion system design, called a scramjet, which so far has only been tested in ground facilities, such as wind tunnels.