Online Archive of University of Virginia Scholarship
HEDGE-2: Hypersonic Reentry Deployable Glider Experiment 2 ; Hypersonics: An innovative alternative to subsonic flight or an unequitable and harmful future of aviation?112 views
Author
Wright, Christian, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Virginia
Advisors
Wylie, Caitlin, EN-Engineering and Society, University of Virginia
Goyne, Chris, EN-Mech & Aero Engr Dept, University of Virginia
Mcpherson, Michael, EN-Mech & Aero Engr Dept, University of Virginia
Abstract
I believe the state of the 21st‑century aviation industry to be inadequate. This belief is derived from not only the relatively slow speed of travel these vehicles possess, but also the harm their emissions cause to the environment. I see hypersonic aircraft as a potential solution to the pitfalls that the subsonic vehicles we utilize today pose. However, with the introduction of the hypersonic alternative, it raises problems of affordability and feasibility for widespread adoption. My technical project works to solve the problem of cost by bringing forth a cheaper method to research hypersonics. My STS project analyzes the practicality of a transition to a hypersonic fleet and weighs this new form of transportation against the capabilities of the subsonic fleet we use today. Hypersonics holds the potential to revolutionize the way we fly, but we should make sure we are ready for this exciting technology.
Wright, Christian. HEDGE-2: Hypersonic Reentry Deployable Glider Experiment 2 ; Hypersonics: An innovative alternative to subsonic flight or an unequitable and harmful future of aviation?. University of Virginia, School of Engineering and Applied Science, BS (Bachelor of Science), 2026-05-07, https://doi.org/10.18130/r76f-4b18.
