The X-59 is NASA’s new experimental plane to see whether aircraft that fly faster than sound – called supersonic planes – can be made quiet enough to fly over land, which is currently not allowed in the US and parts of Europe. The main reason behind the ban is the very loud sonic boom that supersonic planes generate when they start flying faster than the speed of sound, which is around 1200 km/h or 760 mph. The X-59, according to NASA, should only cause a noise on land as loud as a car door slamming a few meters away, more like a “sonic thump”. Development of the aircraft began in 2016 between NASA and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. The X-59 is part of NASA’s Quesst mission (Quiet SuperSonic Technology), which aims at developing a supersonic aircraft that can fly over land without making disruptive sonic booms. To accomplish that, the X-59 has a slick design with a long, narrow body, delta wings – like the retired Concorde – and a very long nose. The long nose doesn’t allow pilots to see out the front of the plane though, so they will need to use a camera installed on the nose of the aircraft and a screen inside the cockpit to guide the plane.
The X-59 roll-out event will happen on January 12 at 4 pm EST, when the experimental plane will be publicly revealed. A roll-out event is a milestone for any newly assembled aircraft, and a tradition in NASA. It’ll only be topped by the X-59's first flight, which is scheduled to happen later this year. As an experimental plane, it’s one-of-a-kind, designed for testing purposes and with room for just one pilot. NASA wants to fly the X-59 at 1.4 times the speed of sound (or Mach 1.4) over different population centers, where they will measure noise and survey residents for their perceptions. The hope is that regulatory agencies will consider lifting the ban on supersonic flights if noise levels they generate are kept under a certain threshold. Supersonic commercial planes could cut travel times in half. There are, however, cost and environmental concerns in flying that fast. Supersonic airliners in the past consumed more fuel, carried fewer passengers, and flew at higher altitudes, which can increase the negative effects of their emissions. #supersonic #x59 #nasa #plane #speedofsound #techtok #sciencetok #science #technology #learnontiktok #dwscience