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[MUSIC]

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JOAN CARTAN-HANSEN, HOST:

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Humans have been trying to

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figure out how to fly for

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centuries.

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Early attempts were...

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unsuccessful.

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[MUSIC]

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In 1903, Wilber and Orville

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Wright traveled for 12 seconds

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for the first official human

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flight.

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In 1947, Chuck Yeager became the

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first person to fly at

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supersonic speed.

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That faster than the speed of

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sound!

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Planes flying that fast create a

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sonic boom [BOOM]

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at that speed.

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The fastest plane to date is the

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Lockheed sr-71 Blackbird.

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It travels at almost 2,175 miles

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per hour or 3500 kilometers per

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hour.

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But the fastest thing to fly is

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the NASA X-43a, an unmanned

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experimental aircraft that

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reached a record-breaking speed

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of MACH 9.6.

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That's approximately 7,366 mph.

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For more information about

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flight, check out the Science

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Trek website.

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You'll find it at

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ScienceTrek.org