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NASA Wants To Get Supersonic With New Passenger Jet (networkworld.com)

Posted by yaelk on from the supersonic dept.

coondoggie writes: NASA wants to put a supersonic passenger jet back in the sky that promises to a soft thump or supersonic heartbeat as the agency called it - rather than the disruptive boom currently associated with such high-speed flight. The 'low-boom' aircraft known as Quiet Supersonic Technology (QueSST) will be built by a team led by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. It will cost $20 million to develop baseline aircraft requirements and a preliminary aircraft design.

1 of 144 comments (clear)

  1. What's the market? by msauve · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...and what sort of fuel economy will it get?

    Boeing failed with the SST, due to anticipated fuel costs not meeting market needs. Similarly with the Concorde, which couldn't operate profitably.

    Sure, there are some rich folk who would pay for short flight times, but the mass market is price conscious. The problem with supersonic flight is not sonic booms, but efficiency.

    Finally, why is NASA wasting taxpayer money designing passenger aircraft for the civilian market?

    --
    "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law