The NASA photo records the sound barrier

The NASA team on the ground uses Schlieren technique, also known as the fuzzy image method to save the shockwave image around the Boom Supersonic XB-1 test plane when the vehicle is working through the air. “This photo turns invisible to tangible,” Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, commented.

To obtain Schlieren photos, the main test pilot of Boom Supersonic, Tristan, “Geppetto” Brandenburg, brought XB-1 to the exact position at the exact time in the Mojave desert. When the plane flew in front of the sun, the NASA team recorded a change in air speed while the vehicle reached the speed on Mach 1 (1,225 km/h). The photo was taken with a ground glass with a special filter to help detect air deformation.

The NASA team also collects data on sound flow created by XB-1 in the flight route. Boom Supersonic said their analysis indicated that no supersonic explosion could be heard to the ground during the flight. Minimizing ultrasound is a key goal for engineers participating in the race to revive the supersonic flying. The loud sound created by the supersonic explosion that forced governments to prohibit the supersonic aircraft from moving through a crowded residential area and was only allowed to fly at sea. The elimination of supersonic explosion will pave the way for flights from one end to the other country to be 50%faster.

On January 28, XB-1 made the first supersonic flight. This aircraft is the precursor to developing the Overtere super -commercial passenger aircraft of Boom Supersonic. Overture has received 130 orders from American Airlines, United Airlines and Japan Airlines. It has been nearly 55 years since the prototype 002 of Concorde Bay for the first time at the speed of Mach 1 on March 25, 1970, and more than 21 years since the supersonic flight ended with the final flight in November 2003.

The ambition of Boom Supersonic is huge. Scholl hopes that the supersonic aircraft will replace the traditional passenger plane in the near future. Boom Super Supersonic’s plan is to put Overture into operation before the decade, carrying 64 – 80 passengers at the speed of 1.7 (2,099 km/h), double the speed of the current passenger aircraft. As expected by the company, Overture will fly more than 600 routes around the world someday. “We can significantly reduce costs and impact when manufacturing aircraft faster. If the aircraft is faster, we do not need a lot of quantity,” Scholl said.

XB-1 test aircraft is used to prove new technology developed by Boom Supersonic. Like Concorde, both XB-1 and Overture have a long nose and high ton when taking off and landing, interrupting the pilot’s runway. While Concorde processes by designing the downward nose, Boom Supersonic’s virtual reality system allows pilots to observe the runway without increasing weight and complexity.

XB-1 is produced almost all from carbon fiber composite materials, both durable and light. Overture is designed to operate by conventional jet engine, using 100% unsustainable fuel (SAF). The manufacturing process was completed last year at Boom Supersonic’s super factory in North Carolina. The process is designed to increase the scale to produce 66 Overture aircraft/year.