Shockwave Images Help NASA In Development of 'Quiet' Supersonic Jet (go.com)

An anonymous reader writes: NASA is working on developing a next-generation supersonic jet that can break the sound barrier with a soft "thump" instead of a sonic boom. They are using a technique called schlieren imagery to "visualize supersonic flow phenomena with full-scale aircraft in flight" with the sun as the backdrop for the photos. According to a NASA blog post, viewing shock waves and their density is crucial to the project so engineers can work on a design to minimize those reverberations. While the Quiet Supersonic Technology (QueSST) research aircraft is being developed, stunning images were captured of a supersonic jet flying at Mach 1.05 with the sun in the background. NASA says when QueSST is operational, it could "unlock the future to commercial supersonic flight over land," essentially ushering in a new era of aviation that could allow us to get from point A to point B faster and without the loud roar of the Concorde as it breaks the sound barrier.

Comments

You really want faster travel? Fire the TSA.

[xxxJonBoyxxx]

>> allow us to get from point A to point B faster

You really want to travel faster? Fire the TSA.

Re:Great

[sycodon]

Actually, being able to get from point A to point B faster than a day's worth of travel will probably save countless billions in time and money for everyone from executives to a family going to Disney World, or Europe.

To get from the middle of the country to either coast takes about 4 hours in the air. Add in the precursor activities and post arrival activities and it's an entire day wasted.

Consider a Family of four going to Disney on either coast. A one hour flight vs. 4 (at best, if you get a straight through) will save you four meals, two hotel rooms for a night, and take up one less day of your vacation time.

With the Supercruise capabilities we see on F-22's it may even mean lower fuel consumption per hour.