♪ >> So best 10 day we’ve seen
>> So best 10 day we’ve seen
in a while. And yeah, Anthony,
thank you. We always talk about
the future of space, but and
NASA stands for aeronautical,
which also means working on major technological Vance’s
major technological Vance’s
that will help us right here
at home. Yeah. Right now a team
of NASA innovators are using
the science of sound to help
make supersonic flight over
land possible that could lead
to major changes to the way
we fly down the road. So did
tell us about it. Doctor
Jonathan Rath, some research,
aerospace engineer and technical co-lead for community
technical co-lead for community
tests for NASA’s Quest Mission
is joining us. Doctor Asim, can
you tell us more about what quest is?
quest is?
>> Absolutely. Good Quest is a
NASA mission. NASA aeronautics
mission with 2 main goals. The first is to demonstrate the
The first is to demonstrate the
new technology of low noise,
supersonic supersonic flight
without the sonic boom that’s
traditionally associated. And the second goal is to a
And the second goal is to a
survey, the public on their
perceptions and their
reactions. 2 supersonic
overflights from
a new a demonstrator aircraft that NASA is building the X.
that NASA is building the X.
59.
>> And tell us why a supersonic flight over land. So important.
flight over land. So important.
>> But that’s a good My family
and I live in Virginia and my
parents live in Oregon. And so
traveling from coast to coast means a long day of travel.
means a long day of travel.
So the goal of supersonic
flight is to get travelers to
their destinations more
quickly. So renters can spend
more time with grandkids. >> That’s really cool. And you
>> That’s really cool. And you
mention the X 59. That’s an
experimental X Dan aircraft. How will that work?
How will that work?
>> the next 6 to 9 is a it’s
100 foot aircraft is about the
size of a basketball court. It has one that says you can
It has one that says you can
only see one person it’s just
it’s being built for the
purpose of demonstrating this
technology and then NASA will
share the tools and the
technologies with industry for companies that may want to
companies that may want to
build supersonic aircraft in
the future.
>> OK, so you mentioned like
Virginia, Oregon takes a whole
day travel the air long day of travel.
of travel.
Plane. But then what would it
look like? Supersonic travel as
X? 59 getting from Virginia Dorgan.
>> Right. So with a supersonic
travel, you can basically look
at to cutting your travel times
in half. So if it took 6 hours
to get from coast to coast, that would be a 3 hour trip.
that would be a 3 hour trip.
>> Oh, wow. That’s awesome.
Yeah. Haha. We leave I, Texas
to LA but that would be yeah,
condensing any time would be
wonderful. What will the sonic thump sound like? What can you
thump sound like? What can you
say to that?
>> A sonic boom. A front for
those people and hurt them is a
really explosive type of sound.
You know, it sounds like it’s
under from lightning that’s
directly overhead sonic some
by contrast, a might sound more
like distant thunder from the
storm that’s on the horizon.
More, much more of a soft, some
sound. Our can also sound like
a car door slam from a car that’s across the street.
that’s across the street.
>> Okay. All right. In with it.
So with this new technology be
applied to all types of planes.
I mean, I imagine, you know,
when airlines here about
cutting flights in half, they’re all going to jump on
they’re all going to jump on
board. So passenger planes,
cargo planes.
>> Yet any
>> The plane that flies any civilian planning commercial
civilian planning commercial
planned to fly. Supersonic Lee
over land in the future.
We’ll be able to trace its
roots to X, 59 and the low in
Illinois, Supersonic
overflights. >> And doctor asked him how
>> And doctor asked him how
long is this process been going
on here and what’s next? >> Well, the contract to build
>> Well, the contract to build
X 59 with Lockheed Martin.
That was awarded in 2018. However, you know, the first
However, you know, the first
supersonic by Chuck
Yeager was almost 75 years ago
in October when 75th
anniversary. the research into how to quiet the sonic boom
how to quiet the sonic boom
has been going on for decades.
You in terms of what’s as soon
as the aircraft is are targeting a first flight for
targeting a first flight for
its 59 and December of this
We’ll will spend several months
to making sure that it’s safe to fly. That informs the way
to fly. That informs the way
it’s supposed to. And then in
2023 will also spend time
making sure that it’s quite
as it’s supposed to And once that’s complete in 2024, our
that’s complete in 2024, our
plans are to begin series of
community tests mentioned
before where the aircraft of
overflight different
communities across the country and the residents of those
and the residents of those
communities in the survey about
their perceptions.
>> Very cool. Said you already know what that would
know what that would
>> I think Candy’s haven’t been
selected But the X 59 can’t
just didn’t take off from any
airfield across the country. Airfield testing students,
Airfield testing students,
specifications in terms of the
runway in terms of the
infrastructure and the airfield
and also can be in their
fields. It’s too busy with
other
commercial flights. So we’re
we’re right now. Reviewing the air feels that would be
air feels that would be
eligible and the communities
would be overflow from those
airfields.
>> That the rest of Matt mean, I just want to ask you, how
I just want to ask you, how
cool is your job mean when when
you were a kid interested did
it was always his dream to do something to this level.
something to this level.
>> It was not. I feel extremely
lucky to to be working at NASA
said to be working on this team
and to be working on a project that’s about changing the
that’s about changing the
future and improving aviation
for for all travelers.
>> It’s really it is very cool.
So cool. I mean, when you talk
about since 2018 and that’s a
2018 to 2024, will where you’ll do the sort of test flights
do the sort of test flights
are in communities that that’s
actually not a long time.
So thank you so much for
joining us today and sharing details of the plan with Quest
details of the plan with Quest
Program. Doctor Jonathan Rath.
Some research aerospace
engineer, technical co-lead for community test for NASA’s Quest
community test for NASA’s Quest
Mission.
Sparta Smart as the U.S. In