NASA's 'quiet' X-59 supersonic plane moves to Texas for testing and calibration

space.com ^ | By Elizabeth Howell

[BenLurkin]

A quiet supersonic plane designed and built by NASA to usher in a new era of superfast air travel made a pitstop in Texas to perform crucial structural testing ahead of a debut flight later this year.

NASA's X-59 made the switch between Lockheed Martin facilities in late December, moving the plane between Palmdale, California and Fort Worth, Texas to take advantage of specialized equipment available in the Lone Star State to make sure the speedy vehicle won't face too much stress in mid-air.

"In Fort Worth, they've got the perfect facility with a full control room and all the support equipment needed to do those tests very efficiently," Buonanno added. While the test equipment was made for the shorter-nosed F-16, modifications proceeded swiftly and now the X-59 supersonic plane is being assessed in three different metrics.

The program completed 80% of the structural testing by the last week of January, with everything going well so far, NASA reported. There is no firm timeline to complete the tests, but the program next plans fuel tank calibration, and then an eventual return to Palmdale to install all remaining plane systems and subsystems.

The first flight test is expected in late 2022 in the California high desert.

[Yo-Yo]

The long nose is to soften the sonic boom and to send as much of it as possible up rather than down, to lower the sonic footprint of the aircraft.

The goal is to find a design that will allow supersonic flight over inhabited land.

[Captainpaintball]

I understand the shape dictates the sonic signature, or lack thereof, but it looks like something McDonnell/Douglas made in 1957.

[Harpotoo]

With all the embedded PRCs here in the US I’m sure the PRCs already have the blueprints and a working model.

[AndyJackson]

it looks like something McDonnell/Douglas made in 1957

super and hyper-sonic aerodynamics was a pretty well developed field a long time ago.

[PIF]

SpaceX’s Starship will go anywhere on earth in 1 hour. Goals is to have launches set 3-4 hours apart, carrying 100-200 tons.

NASA’s X-59 is obsolete before it is even built.

[Zuriel]

Where’s the wind turbines and solar panels?

[Ancesthntr]

“Where’s the wind turbines and solar panels?”

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If you magnify that picture a lot and analyze it, your find some gullible liberal dipschit (but I repeat myself) who has both on his property, a few thousand feet below that aircraft.

[butlerweave]

Lawn darts are dangerous

[Yo-Yo]