Mach 6 High Temperature tunnel was originally designed to perform aerodynamic and flutter testing at Mach 10.
Additional history is available.
Mach 6 Tunnel to evaluate newly developed nonintrusive flow diagnostic techniques. This facility is well suited for such experiments because of its' excellent optical access and high thermal driver potential. For example, quantitative density measurements have been made in the freestream, the shock layer, and in the wake of a 1.5 inch diameter cylindrical model using the Rayleigh scattering technique. Facility shakedown of these new components should begin December, 1995. Key Unique Features Exceptional test flow spatial uniformity.