How does the X-59 work?
When the X-59 takes to the skies, the goal is to generate a “sonic thump” and by doing so, convince regulators like the FAA that a ban on supersonic passenger travel over land can be overturned. That change could open the door to a future where supersonic travel is no longer just for fighter pilots.
How fast will the X-59 go?
approximately 660 mph
NASA’s X-59 QueSST is under construction at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, and is designed to fly at supersonic speeds – approximately 660 mph at sea level – without producing a startling sonic boom for people on the ground.
Why did the engineers at Skunk create the QueSST x X-59 plane?
X-59 QueSST (Quiet SuperSonic Technology) is being built by Lockheed engineers for NASA to prove that by combining a new aerodynamic shape, engine configuration and video-enabled controls they can reduce the amount of noise generated by sonic booms.
What is the top speed for the X 59 QueSST aircraft?
NASA’s X-59 QueSST is under construction at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, and is designed to fly at supersonic speeds – approximately 660 mph at sea level — without producing a startling sonic boom for people on the ground.
What does the NASA X-59 jet engine do?
NASA’s X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology X-plane, or QueSST, will fly over communities in the United States to demonstrate quiet supersonic. X-59 is designed so that, when flying faster than the speed of sound, people on the ground will hear nothing more than a quiet sonic thump – rather than a loud sonic boom.
Why is NASA building the X-59 supersonic plane?
The X-59 will feature innovative technology to reduce loud sonic booms to a quiet thump. Why build a Quiet Supersonic Aircraft? X-59 will demonstrate technology to fly faster than sound as NASA gathers community feedback data. The data gathered from the X-59 may open the future to commercial supersonic flight over land.
How is the X-59 designed to quiet the boom?
NASA scientists use a lot of technology to explore the science of sound and discover the ways to reduce aircraft noise. How is the X-59 designed to quiet the boom? Engineers incorporated several innovative design features into the u000bX-59 to make it quieter and help the pilot control the plane while in flight.
Where is the Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST being built?
Now under construction by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company at its famed Skunk Works plant in Palmdale, Calif., the X-59 QueSST is designed so that when flying supersonic, people on the ground will hear nothing more than a sonic thump – if anything at all.