From NY to LA In 12 Minutes

OK--so I'm "borrowing" this headline today from CNN.com where it caught my eye this AM.  Of course, in true CNN style the hype doesn't quit match the actual story.  But the story is pretty interesting anyway.  It's about a new unmanned hypersonic vehicle that the Department of Defense is testing today.  It's a triangular "plane" that flys at more than 21 times the speed of sound.  In military terms, that means it could ostensibly reach anyplace on the planet in less than an hour.

Though hardly meant for bi-coastal commuters, it's still fascinating in a science-sense.  What I also found intriguing is that the plane is developed by DARPA, the military's advance research lab.  And though you could not watch the top secret launch, you could follow it on Twitter. Yes, top secret, highly classified DARPA has it's own Twitter feed!  The launch was live-Tweeted today but they seemed to have lost contact with the vehicle and it's status is currently unknown.  I will be following to find out more....