About Rod D. Martin
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December 11, 2015
The Concorde jet may have been retired, but it is far from mankind’s last crack at hypersonic passenger jets.
Meet SABRE, which stands for Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine. The air-breathing engine will enable aircraft to operate easily at speeds of up to five times the speed of sound and even fly into Earth orbit. Though the SABRE engine was shelved by the British government in the late 1980s when it cut off funding, it is now quickly becoming a reality. Reaction Engines, the UK-based engineering firm which developed the engine, is getting significant investment dollars. British firm BAE Systems, which is set to own 20% of the company, says a new generation of hypersonic jets utilizing the engine could be available as a space vehicle in as little as 10 years. The engine also has renewed financial backing from the British government and from the European Space Agency (ESA).
At least one aircraft is set for a 2020 test flight. It can deliver up to 33,000 pounds into orbit.
Mark Thomas, Reaction Engine’s managing director, says the engine could enable a reusable space plane that takes off and lands like a standard aircraft. Traveling at up to five times the speed of sound in Earth’s atmosphere and twenty-five times the speed of sound (orbital velocity) in space, SABRE transitions into rocket mode.
One of the most important advancements, Thomas says, is the engine’s ability to breathe air, which sets it apart from other rocket engines. This allows it to avoid carrying as much heavy liquid oxygen on board the aircraft, extending speed and range. The advanced heat exchanger cools down air by over a thousand degrees in a hundredth of a second. This is essential since the air in front of the engine at hypersonic speeds can reach over 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit.
If the idea of reusable space vehicles that take off and land horizontally doesn’t excite you (it should!), perhaps the dream of a less than two-hour flight from New York to London might.
With aircraft that can travel around the Earth in under four hours, the world is about to become significantly smaller.
Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.
Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.
Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.
Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.
Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.
Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.
Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.
America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.
Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.
Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.
Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.
I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.
Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.
If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.
A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.
Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.
Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.
Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.
The future of technology is the future of America. Rod Martin sees that future clearly, and also sees how to shape it for the betterment of all. He is firmly rooted in the traditions of faith and patriotism that have made America great. That’s why he has made, and will make, so many outstanding contributions in so many areas.
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