NASA Introduces the Future of Air Travel, X-59 SuperSonic Airplane ‘Quesst’
By NASA information center // May 17, 2022
SONIC BOOMS GENERATE ABOUT 110 DECIBELS
(NASA) – Evoking the experimental nature of flight testing and the spirit of aeronautical exploration, Quesst is what NASA is calling its mission to enable supersonic air travel overland.
This new moniker – complete with an extra “s” to represent “supersonic” – draws its inspiration from NASA’s long legacy of supersonic flight research.
Quesst, which replaces the mission’s original name: the Low-Boom Flight Demonstration, effectively conveys the purpose and excitement of a journey that could lead to a dramatic reduction in passenger air travel time.
With the introduction of Quesst comes a new mission identity — a blue and green signature mark that represents the elements of Quesst. The mission graphic displays stylized supersonic shockwaves encircling the research aircraft, above a community of homes. The imagery highlights the ground-breaking research that will be conducted across several U.S. cities during this mission.
Through Quesst, NASA plans to demonstrate that the X-59 research aircraft can fly faster than sound without generating the loud sonic booms supersonic aircraft typically produce.
This thunderous sound is the reason the U.S. and other governments banned most supersonic flights over land.
Working with select communities, NASA will fly the X-59 to learn how people react to the diminished sonic “thump” it produces – if they hear anything at all.
The agency will share survey data with regulators, with the hope they will consider writing new rules that lift the ban that currently restricts commercial supersonic aircraft from flying over land.
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