this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2023
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In July, Lockheed Martin completed the build of NASA’s X-59 test aircraft, which is designed to turn sonic booms into mere thumps, in the hope of making overland supersonic flight a possibility. Ground tests and a first test flight are planned for later in the year. NASA aims to have enough data to hand over to US regulators in 2027.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (5 children)

I wonder if research into sonic boom physics could translate over to high speed aerodynamics generally, to include the useful models for high speed trains.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Lack of high speed rail isn’t caused by lack of knowledge about how to do it. High speed rail exists in some places, just not the US.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Because the USA is 2892 miles wide. Even a 285 mph bullet train, which is the fastest train in the world, would take 10 hours to cross the United States, and that's at absolute max speed, with no stops, which isn't how trains operate. Realistically it would take a few days to cross the United States, as opposed to 5 hours in an airplane, or a couple of hours in a hypersonic jet. Trains are great, especially for more relaxed travel, or moving lots of goods, but they're not a final solution for countries this size.

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