NASA took a major step toward redefining high-speed flight on Nov. 16, 2004. The X-43A, a small, experimental aircraft, proved that an engine drawing oxygen from the atmosphere could propel an aircraft to hypersonic speeds – greater than Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound. During the flight over the Pacific Ocean west of California, the X-43A set the world speed record for a jet-powered aircraft, reaching Mach 9.6, or nearly 7,000 mph. The mission originated from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Re