uk666 5,298 Report post Posted March 17, 2019 Unprecedented images of supersonic shock waves NASA has captured the first-ever photos showing the shock-waves of supersonic jets interacting in flight. 2019 NASA captures unprecedented images of supersonic shock waves with help of 'rock star' pilots NASA has captured unprecedented photos of the interaction of shock waves from two supersonic aircraft, part of its research into developing planes that can fly faster than sound without thunderous “sonic booms.” When an aircraft crosses that threshold — around 1,225 kph (760 mph) at sea level — it produces waves from the pressure it puts on the air around it, which merge to cause the ear-splitting sound. In an intricate manoeuvre by “rock star” pilots at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Centre in California, two supersonic T-38 jets flew just 30 feet (nine meters) apart below another plane waiting to photograph them with an advanced, high-speed camera, the agency said. The rendezvous — at an altitude of around 30,000 feet — yielded mesmerizing images of the shock waves emanating from both planes. With one jet flying just behind the other, “the shocks are going to be shaped differently,” said Neal Smith of Aerospace Computing Inc., an engineering firm that works with NASA, in a post on the agency’s website. “This data is really going to help us advance our understanding of how these shocks interact.” Sonic booms can be a major nuisance, capable of not just startling people on the ground but also causing damage — like shattered windows — and this has led to strong restrictions on supersonic flight over land in jurisdictions like the United States. The ability to capture such detailed images of shock waves will be “crucial” to NASA’s development of the X-59, the agency said, an experimental supersonic plane it hopes will be able to break the sound barrier with just a rumble instead of a sonic boom. A breakthrough like that could lead to the loosening of flight restrictions and the return of commercial supersonic planes for the first time since Concorde was retired in 2003. Some countries and cities banned the Franco-British airliner from their airspace because of its sonic booms. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites