Published on: April 2, 2013. NASA X-43A uses a drop launch method: it is lifted into the air by a larger aircraft and then dropped. The initial energy for propulsion is provided by a booster rocket, which is discarded when the aircraft reaches its target altitude and speed. From that moment, the X-43A is powered by its own jet engine.
Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition: ragtime(Noun) A musical form, predating jazz, characterized by a specific type of syncopation in which melodic accents occur between metrical beats. ragtime(Noun) A piece of music in this style.
The emergence of mature ragtime is usually dated to 1897, the year in which several important early rags were published. In 1899, Scott Joplin 's  Maple Leaf Rag  was published and became a great hit and demonstrated more depth and sophistication than earlier ragtime.