Boom Supersonic and NASA published a special photo taken during the flight of the XB-1 jet aircraft, which demonstrates the moment of breaking the sound barrier.
To capture the iconic moment, the teams used Schlieren photography — a method that allowed visualization of shock waves that occurred when the XB-1 was flying at supersonic speed. Additionally, experts collected data on the acoustic signature of the aircraft at one point along the flight route, and further analysis showed that the sound impact did not reach the ground.
«This image makes the invisible visible — the first U.S. civilian supersonic jet to break the sound barrier», says Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic. «We also confirmed that the XB-1 did not produce a sonic boom, paving the way for flights over the coast at 50% higher speeds».
The XB-1 aircraft is 19 meters long, has a wingspan of 6 meters and 3 GE J85-15 engines that provide a thrust of about 5.6 tons. In January, the XB-1 prototype became the first independently developed jet aircraft to flew at a speed exceeding the speed of soundand in February made a second test flight, during which the above-mentioned footage was captured.
Slithear imaging requires ideal conditions and exceptional piloting skills. Boom Supersonic test pilot Tristan «Geppetto» Brandenburg successfully positioned the XB-1 at a predetermined point over the Mojave Desert at a specific time, allowing NASA to record the change in air density around the aircraft as it flew against the sun at Mach 1.
To guide the pilot to specific points along the route, the XB-1 team developed special software using NASA’s previous calculations, and then the space agency recorded the flight with ground-based telescopes with special filters that detect air distortions, such as shock waves, around the supersonic aircraft.
As for the sound impact data, they were obtained from microphones and sound pressure level recording devices, and their further analysis proves that flying without interference caused by sound impact is quite possible (this was confirmed by early research NASA on the potential launch of supersonic commercial travel for the public).
In February, Boom Supersonic announced that it will use the data collected during the XB-1 test flights to implement Boomless Cruise in its supersonic airliner Overture — the technology will allow it to fly at speeds up to Mach 1.3 without audible sound, reducing the time of flight from coast to coast of the United States to 90 minutes.
Boom Supersonic claims to have 130 orders and pre-orders for the Overture from United Airlines, American Airlines and Japan Airlines. Last year, the company completed the construction of the Overture Superfactory in Greensboro, North Carolina, which is expected to produce 66 Overture aircraft per year.
Spelling error report
The following text will be sent to our editors: