NASA's X-59
a supersonic plane that's changing the future of flight!
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Crestview Elementary's 4th graders interview
Don Durston, Aerospace Engineer with NASA |
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did you know... ?
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the airlines that flew a supersonic
passenger jet during the late 1900's? a. British Airways and Air France b. Lufthansa and American Airlines c. Singapore Airlines and Japan Airlines d. Qantas and Emirates |
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what sound is?
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Why the X-59 is so special?
Have you ever dreamed of traveling really fast, like a superhero? Well, guess what? The air and space experts at NASA are working on an amazing plane called the X-59 that can do just that!
The X-59 is no ordinary plane; it's super fast! It's being designed to fly faster than the speed of sound, which is about 767 miles per hour! About 50 miles in the time it took you to read this sentence! 🤓
The quest for quieter flights
Now, here's the cool part: the X-59 is not just about speed; it's about making flights quieter. You know that loud "boom" you may have read about when a plane goes really fast? That's called a sonic boom, and it can be annoying. The X-59 is designed to make a much quieter "thump" instead of a loud boom. So, when it flies fast, people on the ground won't hear the boom as it passes the speed of sound.
Why is this important?
Faster flights means that in the future, you can get to faraway places much quicker. For example, a super-fast flight from New York to London takes only half the time of a regular flight; it can take you to cities that are a very long flight with sub-sonic planes. And these planes fly really high in the sky where the air is calmer and flights are smoother.
Test flights
NASA is testing the X-59 to make sure it works perfectly. Once it's ready, it could change the way people travel around the world. Imagine being able to go from one country to another in just a few hours!
Have you ever dreamed of traveling really fast, like a superhero? Well, guess what? The air and space experts at NASA are working on an amazing plane called the X-59 that can do just that!
The X-59 is no ordinary plane; it's super fast! It's being designed to fly faster than the speed of sound, which is about 767 miles per hour! About 50 miles in the time it took you to read this sentence! 🤓
The quest for quieter flights
Now, here's the cool part: the X-59 is not just about speed; it's about making flights quieter. You know that loud "boom" you may have read about when a plane goes really fast? That's called a sonic boom, and it can be annoying. The X-59 is designed to make a much quieter "thump" instead of a loud boom. So, when it flies fast, people on the ground won't hear the boom as it passes the speed of sound.
Why is this important?
Faster flights means that in the future, you can get to faraway places much quicker. For example, a super-fast flight from New York to London takes only half the time of a regular flight; it can take you to cities that are a very long flight with sub-sonic planes. And these planes fly really high in the sky where the air is calmer and flights are smoother.
Test flights
NASA is testing the X-59 to make sure it works perfectly. Once it's ready, it could change the way people travel around the world. Imagine being able to go from one country to another in just a few hours!
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