Supersonic Passenger Jet

Have you ever dreamed of flying faster than the speed of sound?

Well, on February 29, 2016 NASA announced that they intend to build a quiet supersonic passenger jet. What does this mean? Sonic booms, which occur when objects break the sound barrier (speed of sound), can be extremely loud. However, if the barrier is broken with precision, the sonic boom can be extremely faint. NASA is investigating these “low booms” and “no booms” which break the sound barrier without creating a lot of noise. NASA’s program, QueSST (Quiet Supersonic Technology), is continuing to research the “low booms” in hopes that in the future all planes will be able to fly faster than the speed of sound (mach 1) without breaking noise restrictions. A “low boom” is a quiet rumble like the sound of a distant storm. This is a big change to a normal sonic boom which sends strong shock waves to the ground and sounds like an explosion. And if the plane is at least at an altitude of 35,000 feet, the “low boom” would not be heard from the ground.

In the future, NASA hopes to make supersonic commercial flight practical and possible. They have awarded Lockheed Martin, an American aerospace, defense, and security company, twenty million dollars to design the plane over the next seventeen months. “NASA is working hard to make flight greener, safer and quieter – all while developing aircraft that travel faster, and building an aviation system that operates more efficiently,” says Charles Bolden, the current Administrator of NASA.

Works Cited

NASA. "NASA Researches the 'FaINT' Side of Sonic Booms." YouTube. NASA, 2012. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.

Patterson, Thom. "NASA Says It Will Build Quiet Supersonic Passenger Jet." CNN. Cable News Network, 2016. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.

Harrington, J.D., and Kathy Barnstorff. "NASA Begins Work to Build a Quieter Supersonic Passenger Jet."NASA. NASA, 29Feb. 2016. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.