Quesst:
The Science
NASA’s heritage of studying supersonic flight reaches back more than 70 years. That accumulated knowledge, especially as it relates to understanding sonic booms and how to make them quieter, is at the heart of the Quesst mission. It has taken years of hard work and the latest in wind-tunnel testing, advanced computer simulation tools, and actual flight testing to reach this point where it’s time to prove the theory in the air with a large-scale supersonic X-plane.
Computational Fluid Dynamics
CFD, or Computational Fluid Dynamics, is a type of computer modeling researchers use to show where air molecules are pushed out of the way by a moving aircraft and generate noise.
These models can help engineers pinpoint the best places to alter an aircraft’s design in order to reduce noise. In the image to the right, the color red shows where the most sound is produced by an aircraft.
Watch a video on Computational Fluid Dynamics
Schlieren Photography
Schlieren photography was invented by the German physicist August Toepler in 1864 to study supersonic motion.
NASA Scientists use it to “see” the pressure waves caused by a flying aircraft pushing air molecules out of the way.
See More Schlieren Imagery
Wind Tunnels
Scientists use wind tunnels to test how models of aircraft will perform in flight.
Engineers built and tested several models of the X-59 before choosing its final design.
Watch a Video to learn more about wind tunnel testing for the X-59
What is a Sonic Boom?
When an airplane flies at or above the speed of sound, air molecules cannot move out of the way of the airplane fast enough, so the pressure waves combine to generate a large shockwave, which people on the ground hear as a sonic boom.
Watch to learn more about sonic boomsQuesst: The Science News
Stay up-to-date with the latest content related to the science from the Quesst mission.
NASA has issued new grants to five universities to help develop education plans for the community overflight phase of the…
It’s almost time for NASA’s supersonic X-59 airplane to make its red, white, and blue public debut, and you’re invited…
Nils Larson, aerospace engineer and test pilot for NASA’s X-59 aircraft, met up with his former student, Artemis II astronaut…
NASA will deliver the results to U.S. and international regulators, who will consider new rules that would lift the ban…
Before the X-59 flies, NASA researchers are getting ahead of the curve by using computational fluid dynamics to create what…
Sound never looked so good! Using a special handheld camera, researchers at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California,…
