Bringing Back Supersonic Flight
About this episode
The episode discusses NASA's X-59 plane and its potential to change commercial supersonic flight by reducing sonic boom noise.
Currently, flying faster than the speed of sound over land is prohibited for commercial flights because it creates disruptive sonic booms. NASA's experimental X-59 plane will research how to turn those booms into "sonic thumps," about as loud as a slamming car door. Lead pilot Nils Larson explains how the X-59 could usher in the next era of commercial supersonic flight.
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