NASA
Lockheed and NASA Unveil Supersonic Jet X-59 That Curbs Window-Shattering Sonic Boom
Lockheed Martin Corp. and NASA gave the public a sneak peek of a plane that could pave the way for cutting some flight times in half. The X-59, which was unveiled on Friday afternoon in Palmdale, California, has been designed to fly faster than the speed of sound with much less noise. When planes break the sound barrier — called Mach 1 — a loud and continuous sonic boom is created that can shatter windows on the ground. The US banned civilian aircraft from reaching this speed over land in 1973.