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submitted 9 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/science@lemmy.world

In launch event on Friday, agency shared plans to test over US cities to see if it’s quiet enough by engaging ‘the people below’

Nasa has unveiled a one-of-a-kind quiet supersonic aircraft as part of the US space agency’s mission to make commercial supersonic flight possible.

In a joint ceremony with Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, on Friday, Nasa revealed the X-59, an experimental aircraft that is expected to fly at 1.4 times the speed of sound – or 925mph (1,488 km/h).

The aircraft, which stands at 99.7ft (30.4 metres) long and 29.5ft wide, has a thin, tapered nose that comprises nearly a third of the aircraft’s full length – a feature designed to disperse shock waves that would typically surround supersonic aircraft and result in sonic booms.

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[-] Nougat@kbin.social -5 points 9 months ago

This design may minimize the sonic boom, but that boom cannot be eliminated. "Artist's impression" image shows ... absolutely no room for passengers. This is a design test aircraft focused solely on minimizing shockwave noise. Any passenger plane based on this design is going to be very low capacity, and wholly unable to pull up to a jet bridge at any airport.

[-] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 24 points 9 months ago

This is a technology demonstrator to understand the acoustics of sonic booms. Passenger versions would likely look very different, just incorporating the information gathered from this project.

[-] 4am@lemm.ee 7 points 9 months ago

Please explain why you think that principles learned here cannot inform designs at scale. Do you think it’s the small size of the aircraft which reduces the sonic boom?

[-] BiggestBulb@kbin.run 3 points 9 months ago

To be fair about the jet bridge thing, I've definitely been at some pretty major airports (read "SeaTac") and gone out onto the concrete to board a small plane. The jet bridge is not a deal breaker

[-] Cocodapuf@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago

Look at boom spersonic's jet designs: https://boomsupersonic.com/

They've already sold future planes to several airlines. It's happening.

this post was submitted on 13 Jan 2024
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