2024-01-15 13:47:36
The Nasa unveiled this Friday its first plane silent supersonic, reports The Guardian. The presentation of the device took place in Californiaand this gem of technology could well revolutionize commercial flights.
Un design unique
The design of the X-59, which measures 30 meters long by 9 wide, is very different from “classic” aircraft. Its nose, which represents almost a third of the total length of theplane, is thin and tapered. A shape specially designed to disperse the shock waves that generally surround supersonic aircraft. Located further aft, the cockpit is not equipped with frontal windows.
“Faced with the enormous challenge of limited visibility in the cockpit, the team developed an external vision system”, that is to say a monitor powered by cameras, as Pam Melroy explained. According to this deputy administrator of NASA, the plane is also equipped with a engine mounted on top. The underside of the device is smooth to, once again, prevent waves shocks form behind the device and cause sonic booms.
“Acceptable” noise?
The X-59 is expected to make its first vol trial during 2024. This will be the first phase of a testing program which is expected to last three years. Once these tests have been completed in the western American desert, the plane will fly over several cities from the country.
Residents will be able to testify to the noise generated by the device. A major issue since commercial supersonic flights have been banned from UNITED STATES over the last 50 years. In question ? The concerns of the population linked to the noise caused by sonic booms.
The objective is therefore to know if sonic noise is “acceptable (…) in the hope of lifting the ban”, declared Bob Pierce, associate administrator of NASA in charge of the mission of research aeronautics. The rolling tests of the X-59 should begin between the end of spring and the beginning of summer.
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