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submitted 1 year ago by deconstruct@lemm.ee to c/technology@lemmy.ml

In July, Lockheed Martin completed the build of NASA’s X-59 test aircraft, which is designed to turn sonic booms into mere thumps, in the hope of making overland supersonic flight a possibility. Ground tests and a first test flight are planned for later in the year. NASA aims to have enough data to hand over to US regulators in 2027.

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[-] j4k3@lemmy.world 131 points 1 year ago

I like the technological idea, but not the idea of catering to the super rich by giving them convenience at the cost of increasing their carbon footprint by another order or magnitude. This is tax money funding toys for the parasitic criminal billionaires.

[-] PixelOfLife@lemm.ee 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

This is tax money funding toys for the parasitic criminal billionaires.

What an idiotic and short-sighted take. Research on supersonic aerodynamics is useful for far more than just toys for billionaires. Military applications, rocketry and astrophysics, for example. And even regular commercial aviation, because supersonic shockwaves are a major source of drag even at the speeds airliners fly at. Airlines would kill to have a fleet of planes that burn a few percent less fuel.

E: Also, much of the noise an airliner makes during takeoff comes from the sonic booms created by the engine fan blades going supersonic.

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this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2023
395 points (96.5% liked)

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