If youre old enough to remember the european Concorde, the last commercial supersonic transport, which ended service in 2003, you may know that while the plane could fly at twice the speed of sound, it was loud and expensive to operate. <\/p>\n
Now NASA Armstrong in eastern Kern County is working with private contractors on a new concept that would make those pesky, disruptive sonic booms sound more like your neighbor closing his car door. <\/p>\n
Recent research has shown it is possible for a supersonic airplane to be shaped in such a way that the shock waves it forms when flying faster than the speed of sound can generate a sound at ground level so quiet it will hardly be noticed by the public, if at all. <\/p>\n
NASA is working hard to make flight greener, safer and quieter all while developing aircraft that travel faster, and building an aviation system that operates more efficiently,NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said last year when the space agency awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin in Palmdale to complete a preliminary design for Quiet Supersonic Technology, or QueSST for short. <\/p>\n
Now the first stage is nearly complete, saidMatt Kamlet, a public affairs specialist atNASA Armstrong. <\/p>\n
\"We are meeting with Lockheed this week to go over the final design and concept,\" Kamlet said. <\/p>\n
Developing, building and flight testing a quiet supersonic aircraft could ultimately enable the industry and theFederal Aviation Administration to open supersonic travel for the flying public. <\/p>\n
But before that happens, a full-size flight demonstration aircraft will have to be built, and will have to prove itself in flight tests that will likely begin in eastern Kern before being tried out over communities not accustomed to hearing sonic booms. <\/p>\n
Our unique aircraft design is shaped to separate the shocks and expansions associated with supersonic flight, dramatically reducing the aircrafts loudness, Peter Iosifidis, QueSST program manager at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, said in a statement. Our design reduces the airplanes noise signature to more of a heartbeat instead of the traditional sonic boom thats associated with current supersonic aircraft in flight today. <\/p>\n
Why should the average person care? <\/p>\n
\"A five- or six-hour flight from Los Angeles to New York would be cut in half,\"Kamlet said. <\/p>\n
Meanwhile, seeing the sleek, single-pilot demonstration jet streaking through the skies overhead may be its own reward. <\/p>\n
If the research and development stays on schedule, Kamlet said, that could happen as early as 2021. <\/p>\n
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Read more from the original source:<\/p>\n
NASA developing supersonic aircraft to create soft thump rather than disruptive sonic boom - The Bakersfield Californian<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If youre old enough to remember the european Concorde, the last commercial supersonic transport, which ended service in 2003, you may know that while the plane could fly at twice the speed of sound, it was loud and expensive to operate. Now NASA Armstrong in eastern Kern County is working with private contractors on a new concept that would make those pesky, disruptive sonic booms sound more like your neighbor closing his car door. Recent research has shown it is possible for a supersonic airplane to be shaped in such a way that the shock waves it forms when flying faster than the speed of sound can generate a sound at ground level so quiet it will hardly be noticed by the public, if at all. Continue reading