Concorde 2.0: NASA Prepares "Quiet" Supersonic Jet That Could Transform Travel

[brooklynite]

Frommers

Science and fuel efficiency technology have come a long way in the nearly two decades since the Concorde landed for the last time. In 2022, a joint project of NASA and Lockheed Martin is about to bring a new iteration of supersonic aircraft to the skies.

The new X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology aircraft (QueSST) was assembled last year in the desert northeast of Los Angeles. Last month, the prototype was delivered to Texas to prepare for real-world ground tests.

A central goal of the X-59 QueSST is, as NASA puts it, "to reduce the loudness of the sonic boom, which occurs when an aircraft flies faster than the speed of sound, to a gentle, quiet sonic 'thump.'"

...snip...

The current design of NASA's X-59 calls for a single pilot, but if the concept is sound enough to dampen sound, then engineers expect to be able to scale up the form to accept passengers and cargo for commercial flights. The real test will come in two years, when NASA plans to run test flights over American cities to determine the impact of the refined supersonic design.

[edhopper]

1. Intertesting

wonder what the costs of scaling up to make it big enough for passengers to make it commercially viable.

Might become a billionaire's plaything first.

[Blues Heron]

2. tea time in london for me, a gentle thump on the ear for thee