NASA to Compare Quiet Sonic 'Thump' to Standard Sonic Boom in Demo for Media

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May 18, 2016, 10:10 ET

EDWARDS, Calif., May 17, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Members of the media are invited to a comparative demonstration of the currently louder sonic boom to a quieter, more community-friendly sonic "thump", which NASA looks to achieve through an experimental aircraft for Quiet Supersonic Technology (QueSST).

The May 31 event beginning at 9:00 a.m. PDT will be held at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, where manned supersonic flight was first achieved in 1947.

NASA's Ikhana is being used for the development of regulations to integrate Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the National Airspace System. (Credits: NASA Photo)

Shockwaves produced by a U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School T-38 aircraft in supersonic flight are captured by NASA researchers using a special filter and camera on the ground. (Credits: NASA Photo)

The event will feature supersonic flyovers by a NASA F/A-18 'Hornet' aircraft. The jet will produce a conventional, largely audible sonic boom, followed by another pass, in which it will perform a special dive maneuver, demonstrating a quieter "thump" in place of the boom. The quieter thump is closely similar to what NASA engineers believe supersonic flight may sound like through QueSST.

The disruptive sonic boom is the primary cause for the Federal Aviation Administration's restriction on supersonic flight over land. NASA's efforts in QueSST may open the future to supersonic aviation on a commercial level.

In addition to the supersonic demonstration, NASA will feature presentations from Commercial Supersonic Technology program managers, who will then take part in a Q&A session for invited social media users, and media interviews.

Following the supersonic portion of the event, NASA Armstrong will then showcase current efforts to safely integrate Unmanned Aircraft Systems into the National Airspace System (UAS-NAS). Program managers and engineers will give presentations, and will be available to media attendees for interviews.

Media representatives planning to participate should contact Matt Kamlet in the center's public affairs office at 661-276-2330, or email [email protected] by 4 p.m. on May 24 to provide credential information.

For more about NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong

For background on some of NASA Armstrong's supersonic research, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/1XjPt0S

To learn more about UAS-NAS, visit:
http://go.nasa.gov/27byFxe

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160517/368988
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160517/368989
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO

SOURCE NASA