From Peter Watts, University College Hospital
The article entitled “Star Wars Express” (6 April, p 32) stated that one of the factors preventing trains travelling at speeds exceeding 500 kilometres per hour was air friction. However, “Rider on the Shock Wave” (17 February, p 28) seems to describe the appropriate technology to overcome this. After all, what is exceeding 500 kilometres per hour compared to the speeds of Mach 25 described in this article?
As I am a microbiologist, and therefore not involved in the fields described, perhaps I’ve missed something. Is the idea of putting an air spike on the front of a high-speed train feasible? If so, someone ought to get the two project coordinators in touch with one another and really give the air industry a run for its money.
London
