NASA's supersonic aircraft rolls out

The X-59 hypersonic aircraft promises to fly very quietly over land instead of creating a ground-shaking explosion like the Concorde.

The X-59 QuessT (Quiet SuperSonic Technology) is an experimental jet that aims to reduce the sonic boom produced when an aircraft breaks the sound barrier. Instead of the earth-shaking rumble of an aircraft reaching the speed of sound (Mach 1 or 1,235 km/h), the X-59 only makes a sound similar to the sound of a car door slamming. Lockheed Martin, which is building the jet at its Skunk Works advanced aircraft manufacturing facility in Palmdale, California, shared a video of the moment the X-59 rolled out of the hangar and was ready for flight testing, Space reported on August 4.

The footage reveals the unique shape of the X-59 with a pointed nose that stretches 11.5 m. However, due to the length of the nose, the X-59 pilot cannot see out of the cockpit because there is no windshield at the front.

To combat this, the test aircraft is equipped with an Extravehicular Vision System (XVS). XVS is essentially a closed-circuit video system that includes a forward-facing camera and a cockpit display in front of the pilot. The system uses custom image processing software and a camera system to create a virtual reality view of the X-59 pilot’s view of the scene ahead, along with flight data graphics, according to NASA.

After the X-59 is assembled, NASA and Lockheed Martin teams will conduct ground testing to ensure it is safe and ready to fly. Once the vehicle is ready for flight testing, it will fly over residential areas to analyze how people on the ground react to the sounds it makes. NASA will send the data to regulators like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to apply for commercial supersonic flight certification.

Supersonic flight over land and within certain areas of the US coastline has been banned since 1973, according to the FAA. NASA hopes to develop aircraft that can fly supersonic, cutting domestic flight times in half in the future.

An Khang (According to Space )

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