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NASA to Test 'Scramjet' Aircraft

NASA plans to test an aircraft this weekend designed to fly seven times the speed of sound, using an innovative engine called a "scramjet." The test is part of an effort to develop missiles that can reach any target on Earth within two hours, and spacecraft that can transport people and cargo more cheaply. NPR's David Kestenbaum reports.

Copyright 2004 NPR

David Kestenbaum is a correspondent for NPR, covering science, energy issues and, most recently, the global economy for NPR's multimedia project Planet Money. David has been a science correspondent for NPR since 1999. He came to journalism the usual way — by getting a Ph.D. in physics first.