(Image: Quentin Schwinn/NASA)
This sleek model of a Boeing supersonic airliner design being tested in a wind tunnel brings with it a touch of sadness for those who, like me, mourn the decline of the British aviation industry in general and the utterly gorgeous Anglo-French Concorde in particular.
The reason? When I was at school in the 1970s, the cover of my physics textbook carried a similar photo of a model Concorde in a supersonic wind tunnel. It was an everyday inspiration to me and yet, in 2003, the twice-the-speed-of-sound, hook-nosed airliner was junked, too expensive to run and maintain on the limited routes the noisy beast could fly.
What they are doing at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, sensibly, is looking at ways to reduce the noise of a supersonic airliner so that its economics are not hamstrung from the off. The engines are on top to shield the ground from their roar, and a V-tail channels the sonic boom backwards ? keeping the boom airborne for longer, giving it more chance of dissipating before reaching your delicate ears.
Says NASA: "We are testing overall vehicle design and performance options to reduce emissions and noise, and identifying whether the volume of sonic booms can be reduced to a level that leads to a reversal of the current ruling that prohibits commercial supersonic flight over land."
Now, why didn't we think of that?
If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.
Have your say
Only subscribers may leave comments on this article. Please log in.
Only personal subscribers may leave comments on this article
Subscribe now to comment.
All comments should respect the New Scientist House Rules. If you think a particular comment breaks these rules then please use the "Report" link in that comment to report it to us.
If you are having a technical problem posting a comment, please contact technical support.
Jason Terry Steubenville rape Beyonce Bow Down Jason Molina UCF Pigeon Forge Fire beyonce
কোন মন্তব্য নেই:
একটি মন্তব্য পোস্ট করুন