NASA is preparing to test "quiet" sonic booms in Texas – BGR

Humans have already mastered the art of really going really fast in the sky, and modern technology has made sound speed an insignificant thing, but there is a big problem with supersonic : these dang booms! Now, NASA plans to test a new method to reduce the amazing noise of a boom, and it will use the city of Galveston, Texas as its testing ground.

NASA has been working hard to find how to make a plane go supersonic without shattering windows and scare people on the ground below. The tests will aim to determine how much NASA's new "silent" supersonic technology really is, and compare it to the sounds of a traditional sound boom.

Sound booms are shock waves produced by an airplane when it moves to sound. A number of different things can contribute to the strength of the boom, including the size of the plane and its shape. NASA hopes to break the secrecy of much quieter supersonic flights in the hope of reducing disruptive noise and making high speed air transport an easier pill to swallow for people living under busy roads.

A series of supersonic jets that have long since ceased, drew public wrath because of its habit of rolling sonic booms across the earth beneath. Airlines finally imposed a speed restriction on aircraft on some landmasses, which has dampened its appeal as an option faster than ever for high-dollar travelers.

To test the feasibility of a supersonic return, NASA F / A-18 aircraft to plunge into the sky above Galveston, producing traditional sonic booms and also simulating quieter booms than NASA hope to achieve with his experimental plane X-59. The agency has recruited citizen observers to provide comments on the difference they make, and how the booms compare to each other.

"Once fully tested and declared safe to fly in the national airspace, the X-59 by the end of 2022 will begin to make supersonic flights over selected communities to measure residents' reactions to No matter what sound they might hear, "NASA explains future tests." The scientifically valid data collected from these community overflights will be presented to US and international regulators, who will use this information to help them. to establish rules based on noise levels that allow new commercial markets for terrestrial supersonic flight. "