NASA Engineers Explore Pros and Cons of Supersonic Air Transport
WASHINGTON—Engineers at NASA’s Advanced Air Vehicles Program (AAVP) are re-examining a topic that was popular in the 1960s—supersonic commercial flight. They recently conducted a study that claims potential passenger markets exist in about 50 established transoceanic routes that connect cities in North America, Asia and Europe. A separate NASA initiative is the Quesst mission, which is using the X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft to study the potential of overland commercial supersonic flight.
“We conducted similar concept studies over a decade ago at Mach 1.6 to 1.8, and those resulting roadmaps helped guide [our] research efforts since, including those leading to the X-59,” says Lori Ozoroski, project manager for the Commercial Supersonic Technology Project at NASA. “These new studies will both refresh those looks at technology roadmaps and identify additional research needs for a broader high-speed range.”