Watch NASA Inch Closer To Its Sonic Thump Theory With The X-59's First Supersonic Flight
jalopnik.com
NASA's X-59 is a live experiment in acoustic engineering theory — testing whether supersonic flight can be redesigned to silence the sonic boom that grounded Concorde's future.
Acoustic Shockwave TheoryExternalitiesRegulatory CaptureTechnological Disruption
Theory Briefing
- NASA's X-59 aircraft is purpose-built to reshape shockwaves, turning a window-rattling sonic boom into a quiet thump.
- The Concorde was banned from overland supersonic flight in 1973 — proving that noise externalities can kill an entire technology.
- If the quiet supersonic theory holds, the FAA may be forced to rewrite overland speed rules that have stood for over 50 years.