🌅 NASA Wants to Bring Back Supersonic Air Travel

SOURCE

NASA

WHAT TO KNOW

• NASA’s experimental X-59 aircraft reached a top speed of Mach 1.1 (713 miles per hour) during a test flight last week at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California, breaking the sound barrier for the first time. The jet reached a top altitude of 43,400 feet during the 81-minute test flight, while also generating less noise than the chase plane monitoring the test. The milestone sets the stage for a test of the plane’s quiet supersonic capabilities later this year and the return of supersonic flights in the future.

WHY IT MATTERS

• The X-59 aircraft is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which aims to achieve supersonic flight without generating loud sonic booms to help enable commercial supersonic flights around the world. The aircraft uses a long nose, wide delta wings, and high T-tail to cut through the air at supersonic speeds, generating quiet “thumps” rather than loud booms. The engineer leading the plane’s development says the thumps aren’t loud enough to notice, comparing them to other sounds that blend into daily life, like distant thunder or a neighbor closing their car door.

CONNECT THE DOTS

• In 1973, Congress banned commercial supersonic flights over the U.S., reasoning the ear-splitting booms generated during such flights were too disruptive to life on the ground (the law is why the famed Concorde never routinely flew to the U.S. West Coast during its nearly three decades in operation). NASA hopes the X-59 will lead to the development of a new age of quiet supersonic airliners and the return of commercial supersonic flights, cutting travel times for passengers around the world.