"FWIW, 7 references on Google."

Hmm, well I do know a little bit about how to use a search engine, though I couldn't find those specific 7 references you were referring to. I suppose I could try numerous combinations of keywords, but just using the titles got no result. Finding these specific 7 references would be challenging considering what information you provided. If your point is that you can find many things (including such information as "Fay-Riddell equation") on the internet using search engines, I would agree that that could be worth something (if someone was unaware of this).
Normally, if I wanted to find specific references, I would use a number of different search engines.
Oh, I guess I'll try some. Let's see:
http://www.altavista.com/sites/search/web?q=%22Hypersonic+and+High+Temperature+Gas+Dynamics%22+&pg=q&avkw=tgz&kl=XX
and:
http://google.yahoo.com/bin/query?p=%22Theory+of+Stagnation+Point+Heat+Transfer+in+Dissociated+Air%22&hc=0&hs=0
Hmm that had 12 hits, maybe that is what you were referring to. But briefly looking at it, I don't think includes the specific reference that Gary was referring to.
Anyways, I'm sure I could find LOTS of information about what Gary was talking about, just using search engines- if I was interested in finding out about it.
Rats, I screw up on Google search, but I now get 18 hits:
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22Theory+of+Stagnation+Point+Heat+Transfer+in+Dissociated+Air%22&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&start=10&sa=N
But still don't see the specific ref Gary was referring to or the 7 you were referring to.
ANYWAYS. The my point was I don't have easy access to his reference (*assuming * that I even had any interest in it- but my main point was the general public would have even less interest in specific information regarding the characteristic of the heat dynamics of high velocity objects. But they might want to know that friction doesn't cause a shooting star to glow, rather it's heat cause by a fast object compressing the air in front of it and that this hot compressed gas does heat up the object).