Latest news with #X-59Quesst
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
01-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA's X-59 quiet supersonic jet clears 'major hurdle' ahead of 1st flight (photos)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. NASA's experimental X-59 aircraft continues to make progress toward its first flight with a new successful round of testing. The X-59 "quiet" supersonic jet was designed to break the sound barrier without producing the thunderous sonic booms that typically accompany supersonic flight. And based on the results of the vehicle's latest tests, conducted at the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California, the X-59 might accomplish that feat soon. NASA and Lockheed Martin, the latter of which built the X-59, recently put the aircraft through electromagnetic interference testing on the ground. The goal was to ensure its onboard sensors, radio and navigation equipment do not interfere with one another. According to NASA engineers, the X-59 passed with flying colors. "Reaching this phase shows that the aircraft integration is advancing," said Yohan Lin, NASA's X-59 avionics lead, in an agency statement. "It's exciting to see the progress, knowing we've cleared a major hurdle that moves us closer to X-59's first flight." During the tests, NASA not only activated the X-59's avionics and sensor systems to ensure they didn't interfere with one another, but also to look for any signs that these systems could affect systems on other research aircraft that will fly behind the X-69 during test flights. For instance, the agency plans to fly an F-15D jet behind the X-59. This aircraft will be equipped with a specially-designed air probe meant to help measure shockwaves the supersonic jet produces during flight. "It's called a source-victim test — essentially, we activate one system and monitor the other for issues like noise, glitches, faults, or errors," Lin said. As such, during the recent tests, NASA staged an F-15D just 47 feet (14 meters) from the X-59 to "confirm there's compatibility between the two aircraft, even at close proximity," Lin said. After that, the F-15D and X-59 were further separated on the ground to sit at a distance of 500 feet (152 meters) from one another, which simulated the conditions in which they will fly together. "You want to make discoveries of any potential electromagnetic interference or electromagnetic compatibility issues on the ground first,' Lin said. "This reduces risk and ensures we're not learning about problems in the air." Now that the X-59 has cleared electromagnetic interference testing, engineers will test its avionics and telemetry systems by feeding it data while on the ground to simulate what it might experience during flight. 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) To create an aircraft that can break the sound barrier while producing only a "thump" that can be heard on the ground below, NASA and Lockheed Martin gave the X-59 a unique, elongated geometry and placed the engine right on top of the aircraft. Because of its long nose, the radical-looking X-59 doesn't feature a forward-looking windscreen. To see in front of it, pilots will instead use an augmented reality display that feeds views from cameras into screens in the cockpit. During testing, NASA will fly the X-59 over populated areas in the U.S. to study how its quieter supersonic "thump" is perceived by people on the ground. Supersonic flight above populated areas has been prohibited for decades due to the disruptions that sonic booms can cause — but, if successful, the X-59 could someday pave the way for quieter supersonic passenger aircraft.
