美国宇航局的X-59奎斯特飞机在洛克希德马丁臭鼬工厂成型

In the high desert of California, some of the most important aircraft in aviation history have been built and flown. NASA’s X-59 QueSST (short for Quiet SuperSonic Technology) is an experimental piloted aircraft designed to fly faster than sound without producing the annoying – if not alarming – sonic booms of previous supersonic aircraft. It is the latest craft to take shape at Skunk Works, a renowned Lockheed Martin division that for the past 76 years has used a unique approach to design and manufacturing that has produced the nation’s most advanced airplanes.

This artist’s concept of NASA’s QueSST jet reflects the airplane’s final configuration following years of research and design engineering. The jet is now under construction by Lockheed Martin at the company’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California.

Image Credit: Lockheed Martin

在加利福尼亚的高沙漠里，一些航空史上最重要的飞机已经被制造和飞行。NASA的X-59 QueSST(是“安静超音速技术”的简称)是一种实验性的无人驾驶飞机，设计出来的飞行速度比声音还快，而不会产生以前超音速飞机那种恼人的(如果不是警报的话)音爆。这是“臭鼬工厂”(Skunk Works)制造的最新飞机。“臭鼬工厂”是洛克希德·马丁公司(Lockheed Martin)的一个著名部门，在过去的76年里，它一直采用独特的设计和制造方法，制造出了美国最先进的飞机。

这幅NASA奎斯特喷气机的艺术概念图反映了经过多年的研究和设计工程后飞机的最终配置。洛克希德·马丁公司目前正在加州帕姆代尔的臭鼬工厂建造这架飞机。

图片来源: Lockheed Martin