Supersonic Flight

NASA’s X-59 research aircraft moves from its construction site to the flight line – or the space between the hangar and the runway – at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, on June 16, 2023. This milestone kicks off a series of ground tests to ensure the X-59 is safe and ready to fly. The X-59 is designed to fly faster than Mach 1 while reducing the resulting sonic boom to a thump for people on the ground. NASA will evaluate this technology during flight tests as part of the agency’s Quesst mission, which helps enable commercial supersonic air travel over land. Text Credit: Amiee Lomax Image Credit: Lockheed Martin 2023年6月16日，在加州帕姆代尔的洛克希德·马丁臭鼬工厂，NASA的X-59研究飞机从施工现场转移到飞行线上，或者说是机库和跑道之间的空间。这一里程碑开启了一系列地面测试，以确保X-59安全并准备好飞行。 X-59的设计飞行速度超过1马赫，同时将由此产生的音爆降低到对地面上的人来说砰砰作响的程度。NASA将在飞行测试中评估这项技术，作为该机构Quesst任务的一部分，该任务有助于实现商业超音速空中旅行。 文稿来源：Amiee Lomax 影像来源：Lockheed Martin

NASA’s X-59 sits in support framing while undergoing the installation of its lower empennage, or tail section, at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, in this image from late March 2023. Once complete, the X-59 aircraft—the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission—is designed to demonstrate the ability to fly supersonic while reducing the loud sonic boom to a quiet sonic thump. The Quesst mission will then fly the X-59 over several U.S. communities to gather data on human responses to the sound generated during supersonic flight and deliver that data set to U.S. and international regulators. Image Credit: Lockheed Martin 在这张2023年3月下旬拍摄的照片中，NASA的X-59在位于加利福尼亚州帕姆代尔的洛克希德·马丁臭鼬工厂的支撑架上安装其下尾翼。 X-59飞机是NASA Quesst任务的核心，一旦完工，它将展示超音速飞行的能力，同时将巨大的音爆减少为安静的音爆。随后，Quesst任务将驾驶X-59飞越美国多个社区，收集人类对超音速飞行期间产生的声音的反应数据，并将数据集提交给美国和国际监管机构。 影像来源：Lockheed Martin