On January 12 at 4 p.m. EST, NASA will livestream the official public unveiling of its highly anticipated X-59 QueSST experimental aircraft. Designed in collaboration with Lockheed Martin 's secretive Skunk Works unit , the one-of-a-kind X-59 QueSST (short for Quiet SuperSonic Technology) aims to demonstrate its potential to revolutionize the aviation industry by enabling noise-free supersonic flight .
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The characteristic thunderous sound of a supersonic explosion has long been associated with vehicles traveling at speeds greater than Mach 1. When speed exceeds the speed of sound, it produces a loud noise that can scare people and animals in close proximity, as well as shatter windows if it is loud enough.
While supersonic booms are permitted by some military aircraft, commercial flights over the United States have been banned from making them since the retirement of the Concorde in 2003. In contrast, the advanced X-59 was designed to travel at about 938 mph, producing a lower sound. NASA officials previously predicted that the X-59 would produce about 75 decibels of sound, about as loud as a car door slamming shut.
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Engineers have spent years creating and refining the design of the X-59, the ground-breaking aircraft. The experimental aircraft, which will be unveiled on Friday, is much smaller and more elongated than similar aircraft. As New Scientist, it is narrower than an F-16, but twice as long. The nose of the aircraft is almost half the length of the plane to ensure that shock waves generated near the front do not merge with waves generated at the rear for less noise. Because of this, the plane’s pilot will rely on 4K displays in the cockpit to visually guide the aircraft.
During the demonstration, the X-59 will fly at supersonic speeds over “several states” in the United States selected by NASA’s QueSST team, gathering data and assessing public reactions to the supposedly “soft” sound.
Source: Popular Science
