I was watching a program on the history channel called: "Secrets of the Sky: The untold stories of the SkunkWorks." This is a 2 hour documentary about the battle between Kelly of the Skunkworks and Robert McNamera who I think then was Secretary of Defense. They were trying to build a plane that was better and flew higher than the U-2 at that point. They wanted a plane that would fly not at 70,000 feet like the U-2 which Kelly also built but at 85,000 feet and above. They needed an airplane that instead of flying a 450 miles an hour they needed the SR-71 that flies at 2100 miles an hour or (Mach 3 plus) (Mach 3 means 3 times the speed of sound so Mach 3 plus means more than 3 times the speed of Sound).
Mach 1 IS 767 miles per hour
MACH 3 MEANS YOU ARE COVERING 1 MILE EVERY SECOND AND A HALF
OR 2,302 MPH
Mach 1 IS 767 miles per hour
MACH 3 MEANS YOU ARE COVERING 1 MILE EVERY SECOND AND A HALF
OR 2,302 MPH
MACH 3.2 IS FASTER THAN A 30.06 BULLET. AND A 30 ODD 6 BULLET WAS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO TRAVEL THROUGH 10 MEN BEFORE IT STOPPED AT THIS SPEED ON THE WORLD WAR I BATTLEFIELD SO IT WAS AN IS AN EXTREMELY FAST BULLET. IT CAN EVEN GO THROUGH A DIESEL TRUCK ENGINE BLOCK AS A WAY TO PERMANENTLY DESTROY THE ENGINE BLOCK DURING WAR OR TO JUST STOP ANY CAR OR TRUCK ON THE BATTLEFIELD FROM RUNNING ANYMORE.
Also, the outside of the aircraft heats up at this speed to about 550 degrees Fahrenheit. Since Aluminum loses it's strength at about 370 degrees Fahrenheit they had to go with Titanium because it is light but strong even at 550 degrees which is what the outside of the plane is going to be at at these speeds. Obviously, the pilot has to be insulated from this heat because he or she is not going to survive 550 degrees or the inside of your oven cooking some things in your kitchen.
Also, Titanium is as strong as steel but only 1/2 the weight of steel which would make it easier to take off and maneuver in the air.
The Russians actually sold the U.S. the titanium (unknowingly) to the U.S. in Europe through a Front Company there. So, the Russians didn't even know who they were selling the Titanium to at the time.
So, how strange is this? America Bought the titanium through the Russians through a front company in Europe so they could fly over the Soviet Union at 85 thousand feet and spy on them while flying mach 3.
This plane goes so fast you cannot even turn the plane around at all within the whole state of Ohio. What I mean by this is (if you were in one of these in Ohio there is no way to turn it around at that speed in Ohio without burning up and crashing) because you are going so fast.
They tested SR-71 at area 51 then.
They found they could reduce the internal temperature of the plane by painting the plane black at altitude at high speeds. Also, on the ground, fuel leaked out of the plane a lot but at altitude everything tightened up and kept the fuel intact because the metal was designed for speed and altitude and the plane expanded and contracted in size depending upon whether it was on the ground or flying high at speed. It was called "The Blackbird" because of the Black paint they used to reduce the temperature of the vehicle at altitude and high speeds.
If you are piloting this plane your greatest sense of speed is upon takeoff within 20 seconds you are going to go 4500 feet and lift off at 240 miles an hour.You will climb 20,000 feet in less than 2 minutes from the time you begin your take off on the ground. At 78,000 feet you can see the curvature of the earth, the sky above you is absolutely black, 97% of the atmosphere is below you. At night 90% of the stars you can see you cannot see on earth because the atmosphere blocks them out. It's very quiet and you are traveling 3 times the speed of sound but most of the sound is way behind you because of how fast you are traveling. You see the earth from a different perspective more like an astronaut would.
Also, the outside of the aircraft heats up at this speed to about 550 degrees Fahrenheit. Since Aluminum loses it's strength at about 370 degrees Fahrenheit they had to go with Titanium because it is light but strong even at 550 degrees which is what the outside of the plane is going to be at at these speeds. Obviously, the pilot has to be insulated from this heat because he or she is not going to survive 550 degrees or the inside of your oven cooking some things in your kitchen.
Also, Titanium is as strong as steel but only 1/2 the weight of steel which would make it easier to take off and maneuver in the air.
The Russians actually sold the U.S. the titanium (unknowingly) to the U.S. in Europe through a Front Company there. So, the Russians didn't even know who they were selling the Titanium to at the time.
So, how strange is this? America Bought the titanium through the Russians through a front company in Europe so they could fly over the Soviet Union at 85 thousand feet and spy on them while flying mach 3.
This plane goes so fast you cannot even turn the plane around at all within the whole state of Ohio. What I mean by this is (if you were in one of these in Ohio there is no way to turn it around at that speed in Ohio without burning up and crashing) because you are going so fast.
They tested SR-71 at area 51 then.
They found they could reduce the internal temperature of the plane by painting the plane black at altitude at high speeds. Also, on the ground, fuel leaked out of the plane a lot but at altitude everything tightened up and kept the fuel intact because the metal was designed for speed and altitude and the plane expanded and contracted in size depending upon whether it was on the ground or flying high at speed. It was called "The Blackbird" because of the Black paint they used to reduce the temperature of the vehicle at altitude and high speeds.
If you are piloting this plane your greatest sense of speed is upon takeoff within 20 seconds you are going to go 4500 feet and lift off at 240 miles an hour.You will climb 20,000 feet in less than 2 minutes from the time you begin your take off on the ground. At 78,000 feet you can see the curvature of the earth, the sky above you is absolutely black, 97% of the atmosphere is below you. At night 90% of the stars you can see you cannot see on earth because the atmosphere blocks them out. It's very quiet and you are traveling 3 times the speed of sound but most of the sound is way behind you because of how fast you are traveling. You see the earth from a different perspective more like an astronaut would.
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The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" is a long-range, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft that was operated by the United States Air Force. It was developed as a black project from the Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft in the 1960s by Lockheed and its Skunk Works ...
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Skunk Works is an official pseudonym for Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Programs (ADP), formerly called Lockheed Advanced Development Projects. It is responsible for a number of aircraft designs, including the U-2, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, ...
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