An error that threatens accidents during testing of hypersonic weapons has been found.
A research team from China has reported a critical flaw in NASA's hypersonic aerodynamics simulation software. This is stated in an article published on March 14 in the authoritative Chinese scientific journal "Acta Aerodynamica Sinica".
The team led by Professor Liu Jun warns that a small error in complex mathematical equations can lead to serious errors in the analysis of important processes, such as high-temperature erosion of the surface of aircraft. This, in turn, will affect the performance and safety of hypersonic systems.
The software studied by Chinese experts, known as Vulcan-CFD, was developed by NASA's Langley Research Center. Access to it is restricted outside the United States.
Information about Vulcan-CFD scientists learned from the article in 2020, which reveals the principles of operation and key equations of the software package.
According to Liu and his colleagues, the flaw is due to an equation used by NASA to model changes in the concentration of various chemical components in high-temperature gas environments. This equation does not take into account mixing and transfer of components caused by small-scale turbulence during rapid temperature fluctuations.
NASA was one of the first institutions to research hypersonic technology. The term "hypersonic" was coined by Qian Xuesen, the "father of the Chinese rocket program," during his time at NASA as one of the three founders of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1946. The agency's scientists and engineers have conducted a lot of groundbreaking research and testing in this area, but in recent years NASA has faced chronic underfunding and staff drain. So, in February, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory laid off 530 employees amid budget problems.
Meanwhile, China and Russia are ahead of the US in developing hypersonic weapons. On the contrary, the American program in this area has faced serious setbacks in recent years. So, in 2021 and 2022, several test launches of a promising American hypersonic LRHW rocket ended in failure.
Failure is costly. For 2025 alone, the US Army has requested $ 1.28 billion "for the deployment of an experimental prototype with initial combat capabilities."
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the regression is mainly due to difficulties in managing the extreme heat that rockets are exposed to during flight. The key challenge is protecting the sensitive electronic filling and accurately predicting aerodynamic performance at temperatures up to 1,600°C.
A research team from China has reported a critical flaw in NASA's hypersonic aerodynamics simulation software. This is stated in an article published on March 14 in the authoritative Chinese scientific journal "Acta Aerodynamica Sinica".
The team led by Professor Liu Jun warns that a small error in complex mathematical equations can lead to serious errors in the analysis of important processes, such as high-temperature erosion of the surface of aircraft. This, in turn, will affect the performance and safety of hypersonic systems.
The software studied by Chinese experts, known as Vulcan-CFD, was developed by NASA's Langley Research Center. Access to it is restricted outside the United States.
Information about Vulcan-CFD scientists learned from the article in 2020, which reveals the principles of operation and key equations of the software package.
According to Liu and his colleagues, the flaw is due to an equation used by NASA to model changes in the concentration of various chemical components in high-temperature gas environments. This equation does not take into account mixing and transfer of components caused by small-scale turbulence during rapid temperature fluctuations.
NASA was one of the first institutions to research hypersonic technology. The term "hypersonic" was coined by Qian Xuesen, the "father of the Chinese rocket program," during his time at NASA as one of the three founders of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1946. The agency's scientists and engineers have conducted a lot of groundbreaking research and testing in this area, but in recent years NASA has faced chronic underfunding and staff drain. So, in February, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory laid off 530 employees amid budget problems.
Meanwhile, China and Russia are ahead of the US in developing hypersonic weapons. On the contrary, the American program in this area has faced serious setbacks in recent years. So, in 2021 and 2022, several test launches of a promising American hypersonic LRHW rocket ended in failure.
Failure is costly. For 2025 alone, the US Army has requested $ 1.28 billion "for the deployment of an experimental prototype with initial combat capabilities."
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the regression is mainly due to difficulties in managing the extreme heat that rockets are exposed to during flight. The key challenge is protecting the sensitive electronic filling and accurately predicting aerodynamic performance at temperatures up to 1,600°C.
