The Hermeus Podcast

Hypersonic Fever! With Chris Combs and Alex Hollings

May 25, 2023

01:16:30

Creator website

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Introduction

2min

What Is Hypersonics?

2min

The Problem With Mach Numbers in Hypersonic Flight

2min

The Role of Hypersonic Weapons in the Defense Industry

2min

The Future of Aerospace

2min

The Importance of Volume in Large Scale War

2min

The Importance of Cost Perfect in National Security

2min

The Future of Aerothermodynamics

4min

The Value of Being Places

2min

10.

The Future of Aerospace

2min

11.

The Future of Aerospace

2min

12.

The Peace Dividend

2min

13.

The Evolution of Hypersonics

2min

14.

The US's Hypersonic Arms Race

2min

15.

The Conventional vs. The Nuclear Threat

2min

16.

The Problem With Hypersonic Test Infrastructure

2min

17.

The Benefits of Breaking the Development Cost Barrier

2min

18.

How to Innovate in the Test Space

3min

19.

Hypersonics: A New Approach to Innovation

2min

20.

The Risk of Verse Culture in SpaceX

2min

21.

The Complexity of People Systems

2min

22.

The Importance of Diversification in Hypersonics

3min

23.

The Importance of Managing Expectations

3min

24.

The Power of Public Private Partnerships in National Security

2min

25.

The Importance of Iterative Testing

2min

26.

Falcon 9: The Future of Flight Tests

2min

27.

The Difference Between Aggressive and Intentional Approaches to Risk

2min

28.

The Importance of Failure in Technology

2min

29.

Perception Management and How Narrative Informs Warfare

2min

30.

The Importance of Credibility in Journalism

2min

31.

The Importance of Owning the Interfaces Within a Company

2min

32.

The Importance of Multidisciplinary Design in Engineering

2min

33.

The Inertia of Hypersonics

3min

34.

The Importance of Iterative Approaches to Development

2min

35.

The Importance of Engineering Heroism

2min

36.

The Deterrent Value of Defense Contractors

2min

37.

The Role of the US Military in the Middle East

3min

Oh do we have a treat for you! We're joined by a couple hypersonic "influencers", Dr. Chris Combs of the University of Texas at San Antonio and Alex Hollings, the Editor in Chief of Sandboxx News, for a thrilling, engaging, and occasionally controversial conversation about the state of hypersonics in the world today. 00:00 - Intros 03:06 - What is hypersonics? What is hype and what is reality? 08:58 - Hypersonic planes vs hypersonic weapons 13:07 - What are the most interesting problems in hypersonics? 18:50 - Airplanes are objectively cool 22:00 - Airplane development timelines 24:57 - Testing and developing complex air and spacecraft 37:43 - NASA vs SpaceX development approach 55:27 - Assessing risk and how failure breeds success 58:02 - Perceptions vs reality 01:00:15 - Scramjet, boost-glide, and ramjet hypersonic flight 01:01:42 - Highly coupled systems 01:03:43 - The hardest thing about hypersonics: people 01:10:02 - Alex Hollings on Hermeus and Defense reporting 01:14:41 - Wrap up and where to find Chris and Alex

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts

Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.