NASA’s X-59 QueSST aircraft takes shape at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. Photo: NASA/Lockheed Martin
NASA and US military company Lockheed Martin have presented their “silent” supersonic aircraft after six years of development.
Supersonic flight is flight that can travel faster than the speed of sound, and the Is designed for.
“Supersonic flights today bring with them tremendous supersonic thrust. Those of us who live in this area are familiar with this sound,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy.
“But that means it is restricted in populated areas, right. And the X-59 is going to break that barrier. Carefully designed, it produces a smooth hit. “This is a mere whisper compared to the troubling booms of the past.”
The X-59 is 30 meters long and 9 meters wide and has a thin, pointed nose that takes up about a third of its length.
NASA says the pointed nose will help break up shock waves that typically result in a sonic boom, a sound similar to an explosion or thunder to the human ear, caused by an object traveling through air faster than the speed of sound. Is caused by.
NASA launched the Quest mission in 2018 to develop a supersonic aircraft that produces less noise than conventional supersonic aircraft.
“In just a few years we have gone from an ambitious concept to reality. “NASA’s X-59 will help change the way we travel, bringing us closer to each other in a much shorter time,” Melroy said in a press release.
For 50 years, the United States and other countries have banned these types of flights because of their loud noise.
The mission is expected to provide data that will help US lawmakers reconsider the ban on overland flights.
NASA claims that if it becomes possible to fly in commercial supersonic aircraft, travel time will be significantly reduced.
“This advancement truly redefines the feasibility of commercial supersonic flight over land. “This brings us closer to a future we can all understand, cutting the flying time from New York to Los Angeles in half,” Melroy said.
The plane will fly for the first time later this year.
Once NASA completes flight testing, the agency will fly over several U.S. cities with the first takeoffs planned for later this year.