NASA Development Brings (Quiet) Supersonic Travel a Big Step Closer

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NASA is advancing supersonic travel by reducing the sound emitted by a plane of such proportions.

NASAThe space agency announced the development of the Low-Boom Flight Demonstration X-plane, or LBFD, which is currently in its preliminary stages. Most supersonic planes create a loud sonic boom that causes noise pollution, while the LBFD crafts will be designed to only make a soft thump as they travel.

The loud boom that came from supersonic planes caused federal authorities to ban these crafts traveling over land back in 1973. NASA hired Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) as the chief contractor for the job.

The company will work alongside the space agency, sending the LBFD over communities to collect data regarding any noise it may be creating. This data will then be used to determine whether or not these planes should be flown regularly.

“Managing a project like this is all about moving from one milestone to the next,” David Richwine, manager for the design effort under NASA’s Commercial Supersonic Technology Project, said in a news release. ” “Our strong partnership with Lockheed Martin helped get us to this point. We’re now one step closer to building an actual X-plane.”

The craft was tested last month in the agency’s 8-by-6-foot wind tunnel at its Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

Flight testing of NASSA’s LBFD is expected to come as soon as 2021.


Article printed from InvestorPlace Media, https://investorplace.com/2017/06/nasa-supersonic-travel/.

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