May 6, 2024

Introducing NASA Quesst: X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology Aircraft Mission

The supersonic shockwaves, represented here in green, do not merge. This is what enables the X-59 to produce a quieter sonic thump.
The airplane shape represents the X-59. While previously referred to as the X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology, the airplane will now just be referred to as the X-59.
The 3 houses represent the neighborhoods that will supply the information that might permit for future commercial supersonic flight over land.
The crescent represents land, highlighting the special and important aspect of our mission– commercial supersonic flight over land.
Overall, the green and blue signify the Earth, and where the value of NASAs aeronautics research is experienced by humankind every day.

Quesst changes the missions initial name: the Low-Boom Flight Demonstration. (The US Air Force already designated the demonstrator airplane as X-59 QueSST back in 2018.).
” With Quesst, weve discovered a name that better conveys the purpose, significance, and– most importantly– enjoyment of what this mission is everything about,” said Peter Coen, NASAs objective combination manager for Quesst.
Through Quesst, NASA prepares to demonstrate that the X-59 can fly faster than sound without generating the loud sonic booms supersonic airplane normally produce. This thunderous sound is the reason the U.S. and other governments banned most supersonic flights over land.
Dealing with select neighborhoods, NASA will fly the X-59 to learn how people respond to the diminished sonic “thump” it produces– if they hear anything at all. The firm will share survey data with regulators, with the hope they will consider writing brand-new rules that lift the restriction.
Credit: NASA.
Quessts New Look.
With the intro of Quesst comes a brand-new objective identity– a blue and green signature mark that represents the aspects of Quesst.
The new mission graphic displays stylized supersonic shockwaves surrounding the research aircraft, above a community of houses. The images highlights the ground-breaking research that will be performed across a number of U.S. cities throughout this objective.
Motivation for the style originates from images caught throughout NASAs 2019 Air-to-Air Background Oriented Schlieren (AirBOS) flight series, which recorded pictures of converging shockwaves from supersonic jets.
Heres a breakdown of the design and its color combination:.

Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST. Credit: Lockheed Martin
New Name, Same Great Supersonic Mission
Presenting Quesst.
Evoking the experimental nature of flight testing and the spirit of aeronautical exploration, Quesst is what NASA is now calling its objective to allow supersonic flight over land. This new moniker– complete with an additional “s” to represent “supersonic”– draws its inspiration from NASAs long legacy of supersonic flight research.
The objectives focal point is the smooth research plane called the X-59, which Lockheed Martin Skunk Works is currently integrating in Palmdale, California.

NASAs X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology airplane, or QueSST, is created to fly faster than the speed of noise without producing a loud, disruptive sonic boom, which is usually heard on the ground listed below aircraft flying at such speeds. Rather, with the X-59, individuals on the ground will hear nothing more than a peaceful sonic thump– if they hear anything at all. Credit: NASA/ Joey Ponthieux.
The Quesst Plan.
To achieve its objective goals, NASA has actually laid out Quesst in 3 phases. The very first and existing phase concentrates on the assembly of the X-59, followed by initial flights planned for later on this year to prove the safety and performance of the aircraft.
The 2nd stage, expected to take place throughout 2023, will concentrate on acoustic validation. Throughout this phase, the mission will show the X-59 is prepared for regular operations in the National Airspace System. The airplane will fly over NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California to demonstrate that the supersonic innovations work as created. The flights will likewise show that the tools utilized to forecast and determine the sound level of the sonic thump are prepared for usage in stage 3.
Likely the most awaited point in the objective, phase 3 will include the X-59 flying over a number of communities across the U.S., collecting information from the public to discover what people think about the X-59s noise. This phase is expected to take place in 2024 through 2026. NASA has yet to select the neighborhoods.
The mission is set to involve 2027 by taking the info gathered throughout stage three and sharing it with U.S. and global regulators. With the info gathered throughout the Quesst objective, the hope is to allow regulators to think about guidelines based upon how loud an aircraft is, not based upon an arbitrary speed.
” The Quesst mission has the prospective to transform air travel as we currently understand it,” Coen said. “Success of this objective will unlock to quick air travel for everybody across the world.”.
Find out more about the advances in this transformational mission.
Quesst– the mission where speed never sounded so peaceful.

NASAs X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology airplane, or QueSST, is created to fly faster than the speed of sound without producing a loud, disruptive sonic boom, which is typically heard on the ground below aircraft flying at such speeds. Rather, with the X-59, individuals on the ground will hear nothing more than a quiet sonic thump– if they hear anything at all. During this stage, the objective will prove the X-59 is ready for regular operations in the National Airspace System. The airplane will fly over NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California to show that the supersonic innovations work as designed. Likely the most awaited point in the mission, stage three will feature the X-59 flying over numerous communities throughout the U.S., collecting data from the public to learn what individuals believe of the X-59s noise.