Hypersonic jet: just one project to get you there faster

The world is getting smaller and moving faster, leaving many unsatisfied with the time it still takes to get anywhere these days. That’s why there’s been so much buzz around the X-51A Waverider — a hypersonic jet being tested Tuesday that is theoretically capable of going six times the speed of sound.

The jet is just one avenue of high-tech, high-speed transit floated over the years; here’s a look at it and other projects hatched in the name of speed and where they stand today.