NASA’s experimental X-59 jet breaks sound barrier for 1st time in step toward ‘quiet supersonic’ technology
NASAThe X-59, an experimental supersonic aircraft developed in partnership with Lockheed Martin, has broken the sound barrier for the first time. The test represents an important step toward “quiet supersonic” flight, with a vehicle exceeding Mach 1 – speed of sound – with a small rumble instead of a deafening crash.
On June 5, test pilot Jim “Clue” Les flew the plane from Edwards Air Force Base, California, for an 81-minute round trip, NASA announced statement. During that time, the X-59 reached a speed of Mach 1.1 – 713 mph (1,147 km/h) – at an altitude of 43,400 feet (13,200 m).
However, despite passing this important test, the craft’s “quiet” supersonic capabilities are still not well defined; During this flight, the X-59 was trailed by an F-15 fighter jet, whose loud supersonic boom masked the X-59’s noise. Further tests planned for later this year will better demonstrate the experimental aircraft’s progress on the noise-reduction front.
breaking barriers
around the worldfirst supersonic flight It happened in 1947, when U.S. Air Force test pilot Charles “Chuck” Yeager flew a Bell X-1 over the Mojave Desert in California. Yeager drove the plane to speeds of Mach 1.06, opening up a new frontier of possibilities in aviation – but not necessarily for commercial air travel.
“We always joke that the X-1 broke the sound barrier and now we’re trying to fix it,” catherine bahmNASA’s Low Boom Flight Demonstrator Project Manager, who oversees development of the X-59 told the BBC In 2023.
When an aircraft moves forward, it pushes aside the air molecules in front of it. This causes the air to vibrate, creating sound waves that spread from the plane like a wave following a boat. When a craft breaks the sound barrier, the pressure waves of air behind it are compressed and form into a shock wave, which releases energy as a thunderous “sonic boom”.
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Although Air France and British Airways ConcordeThe aircraft, which operated from 1976 to 2003 between London or Paris and New York City, was the world’s first commercial supersonic flight, permitted to operate only because it broke the sound barrier over the Atlantic Ocean. It was eventually decommissioned after one flight crashed during takeoff from Charles de Gaulle Airport in France, killing all on board.
The X-59’s ultra-long, thin nose is designed to reduce the shockwave generated by its sonic boom. An aircraft that produces a quiet “thud” sound could allow commercial domestic flights to be louder than sound on the ground. This would mean that, for example, travelers could get from Los Angeles to New York City in less than three hours (compared to the current five to six hour flight time). However, NASA has not yet released information about how many decibels the X-59’s first sonic boom was.
Apart from its commercial possibilities, quiet supersonic flight has obvious military applications, as it makes secret missions quite secretive. NASA plans to run the first “mission status” test flight of the X-59, which will reach speeds of Mach 1.4 at an altitude of about 55,000 feet (17,000 meters), in the coming weeks.
