“Behold our stunning X-59.”
Over a half-century ago, the U.S. banned commercial planes from flying at supersonic speeds over the nation.
The ban protected us from the thunderous, jolting shock waves created when a plane breaks the speed of sound (some 767 mph), events aptly called sonic booms. For those who haven’t experienced such an atmospheric blast from the likes of a military craft, it’s like the sound of an explosion, NASA explains.
Now, the space agency seeks to tame these booms. On Jan. 12, NASA revealed its much anticipated X-59 aircraft, a nearly 100-foot-long experimental craft that will zoom at 925 mph high above several U.S. communities. (The craft will fly at 55,000 feet; most commercial airliners fly at some 35,000 feet.) Rather than creating a thunderclap, engineers hope the specially-designed craft will produce “barely-audible” thump sounds, perhaps similar to closing a car door.
Read more: Mashable
Curated by Arun