Dr. Davide Viganò, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology, has co-authored an article for the December issue of Aerospace America, the flagship publication of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). The article, titled “Hypersonic Flight Tests Get Democratized,” is part of the magazine’s highly anticipated Year-In-Review issue, which highlights significant advancements and milestones in the aerospace industry over the past year.
The article delves into groundbreaking developments in hypersonic flight testing, emphasizing the increasing accessibility of technologies that were once limited to a select few nations. The democratization of hypersonic flight tests has profound implications for research, national security, and technological innovation.
Dr. Viganò, who joined Missouri S&T in 2022, specializes in fundamental investigations of mixing in turbulent supersonic flows and its application to hypersonic air-breathing propulsion, as well as Arc-Heated wind tunnels and its related intrusive instrumentation and development. His contributions to this article underscore Missouri S&T’s commitment to advancing aerospace research and fostering international collaboration in cutting-edge technologies.
Contributing to Aerospace America’s Year-In-Review is a rewarding experience,” says Dr. Viganò. “As a member of AIAA’s Hypersonic Technologies and Aerospace Planes technical committee, I value this opportunity to reflect on advancements in hypersonic flight testing and share insights that help shape the future of aerospace engineering.”
The Year-In-Review issue of Aerospace America is widely regarded as a definitive resource for professionals, researchers, and enthusiasts in the aerospace sector. Dr. Viganò’s article is available online at https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/year-in-review/hypersonic-flight-tests-get-democratized/, providing readers with in-depth insights into the state of hypersonic technologies and their transformative potential.
*The featured image includes the crafts that completed hypersonic flight tests this year: (clockwise from top left) multiple SpaceX Starship upper stages, a Varda Space Industries capsule, Stratolaunch’s Talon A-1 testbed and the BOLT IB test article flown by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab and the German Aerospace Center. Credit: SpaceX, Varda Space Industries, Stratolaunch, JHU APL