AVIACIÓN
Los vuelos de prueba del ‘Hijo del Concorde’ podrían comenzar en el verano
January 31, 2022 -
La NASA y Lockheed Martin construyen un avión único buscando reducir
el estruendo de la “explosión” sónica, gracias a una nariz muy larga que
cambiará la forma de las ondas de choque durante el vuelo supersónico.
By the end of the summer 2022, Lockheed Martin and NASA hope to begin test flying a unique aircraft called the X-59 QueSST (a mashup of Quiet Supersonic Technology).
The plane’s function is to break the sound barrier as quietly as possible, so that rather than create a 110 decibel sonic boom that sounds like an explosion or thunderclap, it instead creates a thump that sounds like a car door shutting – around 75 decibels.
The X-59 sports several distinct features not found on military or commercial aircraft such as an elongated nose (about 11 metres long) and a cockpit with not forward view, meaning the pilot has to rely on a video feed from two external cameras to see out front – making take-off and landing particularly anxious moments.
If tests are successful, it could lead to the lifting of a ban on supersonic travel over the United States, and lay the groundwork for a future commercial supersonic passenger jet – or the “son of Concorde” as it is often affectionately referred to.