Currently, commercial aircraft aren't allowed to fly faster than the speed of sound over land because of the objectionable sonic booms they cause for those on the ground.
This experimental plane will fly at a cruise speed roughly double that of a commercial jet while keeping aircraft noise down to a quiet "sonic thump" - or even no sound at all - as heard on the ground when the plane flies overhead at supersonic speeds.
To be sure the X-59's design will perform within expected noise limits, NASA is working closely with its contractor, Lockheed Martin, to create a database of computational fluid dynamics simulations to verify the aircraft's supersonic performance.
The database will include simulations for all possible combinations of the settings that a pilot uses to control the aircraft and the flight conditions that may be encountered during flight.
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, is Copyright 1995-2026 Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principles for news reporting and research purposes. |
