The quest for a supersonic airplane that can quietly fly passengers over populated areas isn’t always about exotic airframes and developing futuristic shapes. Supersonic aircraft have been flying for more than 60 years, but much of the work to lessen the boom of supersonic flying is still focused on learning more about the shock waves that cause the window rattling noise.
The current research being done at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center is to develop probes that could be flown on an airplane flying in the supersonic wake of another airplane. Right now testing is being done with the probes on the belly of the F-15 testbed airplane, but in the future they would be mounted in clean air on the nose.
“Using these probes can be a real benefit in understanding and modeling the generation of shock waves and their associated sonic booms,” said Dryden research engineer Dan Banks. “They could allow us to accurately define the near-instantaneous flight conditions of the aircraft being probed, while defining that airplane’s flow field.”
The two probes mounted on a splitter plate on the belly of the F-15.
In the same skies where the first supersonic flight took place back in 1947, NASA’s recent efforts are focused on developing the technology needed to get real time data of how shock waves are generated and their behavior during flight.
Flying at supersonic speeds is nothing new, but it is only permitted in restricted areas or over the ocean because of the sonic booms created when the shock waves from the aircraft reach the surface. In order for supersonic flight to be allowed over more populated areas, researchers in recent years have been investigating ways to lessen the shock waves emanating from the aircraft.
Eventually the NASA researchers hope to increase their understanding of the shock waves so the noise on the ground can be lessened and supersonic flight can become more routine.
Photos: NASA Dryden
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