Aeronautical officials unveiled a new quiet supersonic plane capable of flying faster than the speed of sound and traveling from New York to London in three and a half hours.
The 100-foot-long, 30-foot-wide X-59 supersonic plane, dubbed “son of Concorde,” was unveiled by NASA and Lockheed Martin on Friday, an innovation that officials said they hoped would renew commercial air travel.
The Concorde plane, which could travel at about 1,350 miles per hour, was retired about 20 years ago after its launch in 1976, plagued by costly maintenance and a fatal crash in 2000.
Their new progeny can travel at 925 miles per hour while generating a less disruptive sonic boom in communities below due to innovations in design, shape and technologies, officials said.
For the past half century, the United States and other nations have banned supersonic flights because of the surprising booms created when planes exceed the speed of sound, which is 767 miles per hour, NASA said in a news release.
The plane’s thin nose cone was expected to break up the shock waves that would cause a sonic boom in a conventional plane, and its cockpit is located about half the length of the plane, meaning pilots would have to rely on camera monitors to operate it.
The experimental supersonic plane, which could travel to Europe in about 3.5 hours, is unveiled during a ceremony in Palmdale, California, on Friday. AFP via Getty Images The Concorde prototype flies for the first time at Toulouse airport, France, in March 1969. Getty Images
X-59 is part of NASA’s Questst mission, which aims to “provide data to help regulators reconsider” the ban.
“This is a significant achievement that was only possible thanks to the hard work and ingenuity of NASA and the entire X-59 team,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy.
“In just a few years we have gone from an ambitious concept to a reality. “NASA’s X-59 will help change the way we travel, getting us closer in much less time.”
The plane’s thin conical nose was expected to break up shock waves that would cause a sonic boom. AFP via Getty Images The original Concorde was plagued by costly maintenance. ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Quest team was now preparing for the aircraft’s first flight, scheduled for later this year, through integrated systems testing, engine running and taxiing tests.
After the maiden voyage, the X-59 would embark on its first “silent supersonic flight,” officials said.
“It’s exciting to consider the level of ambition behind Questst and its potential benefits,” said Bob Pearce, associate administrator for aeronautical research at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
NASA test pilots Nils Larson (left), James Less (right) and Lockheed Martin test pilot Dan “Dog” Canin (center) pose with the newly painted X-59 at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale last month. NASA/Steve Freeman/SWNS
“NASA will share the data and technology we generate from this unique mission with regulators and industry. By demonstrating the possibility of silent supersonic commercial travel over land, we seek to open new commercial markets for American companies and benefit travelers around the world.”
NASA warned that the X-59 was a “unique experimental aircraft,” not a prototype that would be replicated for commercial projects.
The cost of the project is $632 million over eight years, according to Bloomberg.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn