Residents of Galveston, Texas will serve as “sonic thump” guinea pigs.
Some background: In 2016, NASA announced that Lockheed Martin won the contract to design the X-59, a supersonic plane that uses “boom reduction” technology.
The quiet boom: Starting in November, F/A-18 Hornets will create regular sonic booms over the water near Galveston, and quieter sonic thumps over the town. F/A-18s can only “simulate” the thump, but they will allow for testing of the concept. Noise levels will be monitored and at least 500 town residents have been asked to record their experiences.
Why it matters: The results will help verify whether boom reduction tech is quiet enough to avoid disturbing residential areas, and establish a testing process for the X-59.
Some background: In 2016, NASA announced that Lockheed Martin won the contract to design the X-59, a supersonic plane that uses “boom reduction” technology.
The quiet boom: Starting in November, F/A-18 Hornets will create regular sonic booms over the water near Galveston, and quieter sonic thumps over the town. F/A-18s can only “simulate” the thump, but they will allow for testing of the concept. Noise levels will be monitored and at least 500 town residents have been asked to record their experiences.
Why it matters: The results will help verify whether boom reduction tech is quiet enough to avoid disturbing residential areas, and establish a testing process for the X-59.
Hear the difference between the booms and thumps in this NASA video.
source by mit download
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