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submitted 10 months ago by Hypx@kbin.social to c/technology@lemmy.world

NASA and Lockheed Martin formally debuted the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft Friday. Using this one-of-a-kind experimental airplane, NASA aims to

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[-] CptEnder@lemmy.world 50 points 10 months ago

Looks like 1950s retro futurism version of a jet

[-] comrade19@lemmy.world 41 points 10 months ago

In the future people will even be able to play chess with someone across the world, and even order a pizza to their door on the telephone.

[-] Pons_Aelius@kbin.social 21 points 10 months ago

and even order a pizza to their door on the telephone.

While living on the moon. (50s futurists aimed high.)

[-] Assman@sh.itjust.works 46 points 10 months ago

You can't fool me. That's an H type Nubian yacht from star wars.

[-] billygoat@catata.fish 4 points 10 months ago
[-] roscoe@startrek.website 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Shut the fuck up! Now Vader, he's a spiritual brother, with the force and all that shit. Then this cracker Skywalker gets his hands on a lightsaber, and the boy decides he's goinna run the fucking universe - gets a whole Klan of whites together, and they're gonna bust up Vader's 'hood - the Death Star. Now what the fuck do you call that?

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[-] Xtallll 38 points 10 months ago

If they are taking about an "X-59" it's because the classified tests on the "X-109" went well.

[-] Aurix@lemmy.world 9 points 10 months ago
[-] Xtallll 35 points 10 months ago
[-] Aurix@lemmy.world 6 points 10 months ago

I can't even find the existence of the name, which would be quite unusual.

[-] Pips@lemmy.sdf.org 13 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)
[-] Aurix@lemmy.world 15 points 10 months ago

Just mentioning that a G-15 classified project is classified as such, is a serious crime. I will report to the authorities before they.... Someone is already at my door!

[-] Agent641@lemmy.world 9 points 10 months ago
[-] Bitflip@lemmy.ml 12 points 10 months ago

That woosh definitely made a sonic boom

[-] JTskulk@lemmy.world 28 points 10 months ago

"NASA aims to gather data that could revolutionize air travel, paving the way for a new generation of commercial aircraft that can travel faster than the speed of sound."

[-] HiddenLayer5@lemmy.ml 26 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

I think that is definitely just a cover because they don't want to admit they're actually developing supersonic stealth planes for the military.

[-] BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 17 points 10 months ago

I think that is definitely just a cover because they don't want to admit ~~they're~~ they've actually ~~developing~~ developed supersonic stealth planes for the military.

Ftfy

What they reveal openly is usually from years ago. A couple aerospace friends are always like "yea, we heard scuttlebut about that about 5 years ago, so that means it was already a thing 10 years ago*, haha.

[-] RagingRobot@lemmy.world 9 points 10 months ago

Well hiding the giant boom is probably a good stepping stone to that so yeah

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[-] Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 25 points 10 months ago

This appears to be designed for taking out zeppelins

[-] hal_5700X@lemmy.world 18 points 10 months ago

Looks like something you will see in Ace Combat.

[-] peopleproblems@lemmy.world 15 points 10 months ago

Guys, check out the cockpit.

I know technology is wildly advanced and he probably has a 360 view now, but other than test pilots, who are you going to get to fly a plane that lacks a forward view?

[-] TheMightyCanuck@sh.itjust.works 12 points 10 months ago

One of the material issues with supersonic is friction heat buildup. Probably can't have a front windshield at that speed.

Cameras and instrumentation will do just fine tho

[-] Ducky@lemmy.world 9 points 10 months ago

The heat is from compression, not friction. And besides that, this thing is only flying at mach 1.5, there are TONS of aircraft that fly at those speeds (and much faster) with windshields.

The reason it doesn't have a front windshield is because the change in shape of the aircraft at the windshield, to be more vertical, was disrupting their method of reducing the sonic boom. The aircraft needs the shape it has, so a windshield would have to be like 20 feet long to offer any forward visibility.

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[-] AA5B@lemmy.world 12 points 10 months ago

With that huge honker of a nose, it’s not like you’d see much anyway. Entire cities could hide behind that

[-] Poem_for_your_sprog@lemmy.world 9 points 10 months ago

Looks like there's a forward facing camera.

[-] dasJot@feddit.de 5 points 10 months ago

No instruments, just a microphone to talk to ChatGPT.

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[-] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago

but other than test pilots, who are you going to get to fly a plane that lacks a forward view?

This plane will only be flown by test pilots. Its a technology demonstrator. Researchers build one of these to test concepts in physics in the real world.

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[-] sighofannoyance@lemmy.world 14 points 10 months ago
[-] vind@lemmy.world 43 points 10 months ago

The Sonic Boom will sound more like your neighbours car door closing than an explosion

[-] Simulation6@sopuli.xyz 5 points 10 months ago

A sonic thump could still be very disturbing. Maybe not break windows, but induce panic I a lot of people.

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[-] rickdg@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago

It’s like a blind Pinocchio flying at the speed of sound controlled by a touch screen. 2024, ladies and gents.

[-] Kbobabob@lemmy.world 9 points 10 months ago

What an ignorant statement...

[-] Cocodapuf@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago

It was a joke.

But no, I don't believe it's controlled with a touch screen. Though it is "daring" shall we say... to make a plane with no cockpit windows.

[-] Kata1yst@kbin.social 7 points 10 months ago

In commercial airliners, nearly the entire flight is now closely monitored and controlled by redundant computer systems. And the pilots rarely use the front window, they mostly fly by instrument.

Cameras as the cockpit windows aren't really that crazy at this point. Really glass cockpits are a formality.

[-] Takumidesh@lemmy.world 9 points 10 months ago

Glass cockpit is a specific term for flight decks that have replaced analog gauges with digital gauges and screens.

Pilots use the windows all of the time. They use it to look for traffic and for vfr approaches.

[-] doublejay1999@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago

You don’t need any aeronautical experience to fly it, but you need a 28” waist.

[-] crystalmerchant@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago

“Across both teams, talented, dedicated, and passionate scientists, engineers, and production artisans have collaborated to develop and produce this aircraft,” said John Clark, vice president and general manager at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works.

What the hell is a production artisan?

[-] SpaceCadet@feddit.nl 20 points 10 months ago

Someone with the skills and knowledge to "manually" produce some of the many one-off parts that went into this prototype.

The scientists and engineers may know what kind of part is needed, but it takes a different skillset to produce it.

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[-] RememberTheApollo@lemmy.world 9 points 10 months ago

Flying hypodermic needle.

[-] BigBrainBrett2517@lemmy.world 9 points 10 months ago

Yep. Yes. Ahuh... According to my notes this is what we needed...

[-] markr@lemmy.world 8 points 10 months ago

There is zero need to revive SSTs. We need to focus on slow transport using renewable energy.

[-] eluvatar@programming.dev 11 points 10 months ago

You can use sailboats if you want, no one is stopping you

[-] bloopernova@programming.dev 7 points 10 months ago

Reminds me of a pterosaur somehow.

[-] grue@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago

Considering that splitting supersonic shockwaves in the air is kind of analogous to splitting the water when plunge-diving for fish (which at least some pterosaurids are hypothesized to have done), that makes sense.

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[-] Daxtron2@startrek.website 7 points 10 months ago

But does the snoot droop

[-] Ejh3k@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago

Imagine dying because you got shish kabobbed by that thing.

[-] prime_number_314159@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago

My great uncle said he hoped for a quiet death.

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this post was submitted on 13 Jan 2024
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