NASA is developing a new supersonic plane. Will it measure up to the iconic Concorde—the world's first passenger jet capable of flying faster than the speed of sound?
The experimental NASA plane called the X-59 is being developed as part of the space agency's Quesst (Quiet Supersonic Technology) mission. It is scheduled to have its first test flight later this year, and NASA is hoping the jet could provide data that might change the rules banning supersonic flight over land.
NASA hopes that the sonic boom—the sound associated created when an object breaks the sound barrier—of the X-59 can be reduced to a barely audible sonic thump from the ground. The space agency says the sonic boom produced by the X-59 would have a perceived volume level on the ground of around 75 decibels.
NASA's plane, which is powered by a single engine, measures 99.7 feet in length and 29.5 feet wide.
Its design research speed will be Mach 1.4, or around 925 miles per hour—meaning it could fly between London and New York in under four hours. The X-59 will fly at an altitude of 55,000 feet.
The obvious difference between the X-59 and the four-engine Concorde is that the latter was a passenger jet designed to fly commercial routes.
The British and French designed Concorde, which came into service in the 1970s and was retired in 2003, was capable of carrying between 92 and 128 passengers. The X-59, meanwhile, will have only one person on board—the pilot—when it takes to the skies.
The sonic boom produced by Concorde was also significantly higher than that of the X-59—it was perceived to be around 105 decibels on the ground, according to NASA.
In terms of size, the Concorde was larger than the X-59, measuring more than 200 feet in length with a wingspan of over 80 feet.
The supersonic passenger jet cruised at a higher altitude than the X-59 will, at around 60,000 feet. It also flew faster than the X-59 will, with a maximum cruising speed of Mach 2.04, or 1,354 miles per hour.
The Concorde's fastest flight from London to New York came on February 7, 1996, when it made the crossing in just 2 hours and 52 minutes.
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Aristos is a Newsweek science reporter with the London, U.K., bureau. He reports on science and health topics, including; animal, ... Read more
