Latest news with #Quesst
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA's X-59 'quiet' supersonic jet aces key 'cruise control' test ahead of 1st flight
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. NASA's new X-59 supersonic jet is a step closer to flight after passing an important ground test in March. Known as "engine speed hold," the test ensured that the X-59 can maintain a specific speed when it flies for the first time later this year. "Engine speed hold is essentially the aircraft's version of cruise control," Paul Dees, NASA's X-59 deputy propulsion lead at Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, said in a statement. "The pilot engages speed hold at their current speed, then can adjust it incrementally up or down as needed." The X-59 team tested the "cruise control" function earlier as an isolated system. But an aircraft's many systems must work in harmony during flight. For this recent test, the team used the speed hold after integrating it more widely into the X-59's avionics system. Related: NASA's X-59 quiet supersonic jet clears 'major hurdle' ahead of 1st flight (photos) "We needed to verify that speed hold worked not just within the engine itself but as part of the entire aircraft system," Dees said. "This test confirmed that all components — software, mechanical linkages, and control laws — work together as intended." NASA and Lockheed Martin have been working on the X-59 for a while. It was developed under NASA's Quesst (Quiet SuperSonic Technology) program. The aircraft is designed to hit supersonic speeds without creating an audible sonic boom, a typical side effect of supersonic flight. Because sonic booms are disruptive, supersonic flight is prohibited over populated areas in the U.S. The quiet X-59 could therefore advance the goal of flying at supersonic speeds across the country. In February, NASA and Lockheed Martin conducted electromagnetic interference tests on the X-59. The test made sure that the aircraft's onboard sensors, radio and navigation equipment all worked without interfering with each other. RELATED STORIES: — NASA unveils its revolutionary X-59 Quesst 'quiet' supersonic jet (photos, video) — NASA will fly F-15s through supersonic shock waves behind its experimental X-59 jet — NASA's new supersonic X-59 jet hits the afterburner (photos) In January, the X-59 team tested the aircraft's afterburner, which injects more fuel into the jet engine's hot exhaust. This test verified engine performance, to ensure that the X-59 can meet the requirements for supersonic speed. This latest test confirmed that the X-59 can cruise at a precise speed, which frees up the pilot to do other work during the flight. NASA said that cruising speed is also important for pilot safety. "The pilot is going to be very busy during first flight, ensuring the aircraft is stable and controllable," Dees said. "Having speed hold offload some of that workload makes first flight that much safer."
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA's new supersonic X-59 jet hits the afterburner (photos)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. NASA's X-59 supersonic jet looks ready for some serious speed in new photos. Lockheed Martin has been building the X-59 for NASA, as part of a project to develop a "quiet" supersonic aircraft that can break the sound barrier without producing the thunderous sonic booms typically associated with faster-than-sound flight. Both NASA and Lockheed Martin recently released photos of the X-59 "quiet" supersonic jet conducting tests of its afterburner, a system that injects extra fuel into the hot exhaust of a jet engine. "The X-59 — precision, power and engineering excellence, all on full display," Lockheed Martin said in a post on X accompanying a new photo of the aircraft. In the new photos, the X-59 sits in a hangar at Lockheed Martin's storied Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California while performing afterburner engine run tests. The tests were aimed at verifying the performance of the X-59's General Electric F414-GE-100 jet engine, a modified version of the engine used in Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet flown by the U.S. Navy. "Running the engine, an F414-GE-100, with afterburner will allow the X-59 to meet its supersonic speed requirements. The test demonstrated the engine's ability to operate within temperature limits and with adequate airflow for flight," NASA wrote in a statement in December 2024 along with a photo of an afterburner test. The tests also verified how well the engine performed with the other subsystems on the aircraft, the agency added. RELATED STORIES: — NASA unveils its revolutionary X-59 Quesst 'quiet' supersonic jet (photos, video) — NASA is 'learning to listen to the X-59' by simulating sonic thumps with fighter jets (photos) — NASA will fly F-15s through supersonic shock waves behind its experimental X-59 jet When NASA and Lockheed Martin complete ground testing and verify the X-59's flight readiness, the jet will begin flight testing. During the flight test campaign, NASA will fly F-15s behind the X-59 equipped with specially designed air probes that will measure the shockwaves produced as the X-59 breaks the sound barrier. From there, the agency plans to fly the X-59 over select residential areas in the United States in order to gather data on the public's reaction to and perception of the quieter "thumps" it produces when in supersonic flight. The X-59 was developed as part of NASA's Quesst program (Quiet SuperSonic Technology), which aims to develop aircraft that can break the sound barrier without producing thunderous sonic booms. Supersonic flight over populated areas has been prohibited for decades because of how disruptive the booms are to the public on the ground. If successful, programs such as Quesst could help get supersonic flight approved once again for commercial purposes, greatly reducing flight time for a wide range of civilian applications.
