Image: Sound strike of an X-airplane

Image: Sound strike of an X-airplane

With the advent of the next NASA X-plane, really cool images are expected to spread.

A recent series of flight tests at the Armstrong Research Center (California) allowed NASA to get even closer to visually capturing the shock waves of the future LBFD demonstration aircraft.

In this picture, the T-38 is shown in a transonic state, that is, the plane goes from subsonic to supersonic speeds. Above and below the plane, shock wave formation begins. They spread far from transport and are heard on the ground as a sound “boom”.

NASA researchers use similar images to study shock waves. They intend to make sound “booms” quieter, which will allow in the future to use supersonic flights over land.

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