Current:Home > MarketsNASA exploring whether supersonic passenger jet could cross Atlantic in 1.5 hours-LoTradeCoin
NASA exploring whether supersonic passenger jet could cross Atlantic in 1.5 hours
View Date:2024-12-24 00:01:37
From New York City to London in just 90 minutes? NASA is exploring the potential of a supersonic jet that one day could do just that.
Transatlantic jetliners currently travel at about 600 mph, according to the federal space agency. But NASA's concept for a plane could theoretically travel at Mach 4 -- four times faster than the Mach 1, the speed of sound, which is typically 761 mph at sea level.
The plane's unique shape also would theoretically allow supersonic shockwaves to be spread out, preventing the familiar sonic boom from occurring on the ground when the aircraft breaks the sound barrier.
MORE: NASA asks for help studying Uranus and Neptune as it prepares to capture new images
If the concept gets off the ground, it would be the first time in more than two decades that there has been a supersonic transatlantic flight since the Concorde, jointly developed by the British and French over 60 years ago, was retired in 2003 due to operating costs.
The news comes as NASA's separate Quesst mission involving its X-59 plane gets underway, one of the goals of which is amending the rules that prohibit commercial supersonic flight over land, in hopes of dramatically reducing travel times in the U.S. and overseas, a NASA spokesperson told ABC News.
Starting in 2025, the Quesst mission will see the X-59 fly over some U.S. cities and ask residents to share how they respond to the sound, NASA said. The agency will analyze the data and submit it to U.S. and international regulators in 2027 to consider allowing new commercial supersonic flights, including passenger flights.
NASA said it has been conducting studies on about 50 commercial routes to gather data on how humans respond to the sound generated during supersonic flights. Because the federal government banned all civilian supersonic flights over land 50 years ago, the studies examined transoceanic travel.
Lori Ozoroski, project manager for NASA's Commercial Supersonic Technology Project, said similar studies were conducted more than a decade ago, looking at flights traveling between Mach 1.6 and 1.8, just over half again as fast as the speed of sound.
"Those resulting roadmaps helped guide NASA research efforts since, including those leading to the X-59," Ozoroski said in a statement to ABC News. "These new studies will both refresh those looks at technology roadmaps and identify additional research needs for a broader high-speed range."
The new studies, led by NASA's Advanced Air Vehicles Program, involve two teams made up of several companies that will "develop concept designs and technology roadmaps" to outline any risks or challenges of flying planes at speeds of Mach 2 or greater.
According to NASA, Boeing is leading the first team, while the second is being led by Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems, which produces aircraft and spacecraft as well as defense technology. The NASA spokesperson said the teams will be looking at gaps in technology as well as early concept designs, but notes there is no technology or aircraft to these ends currently in development.
MORE: India becomes fourth country to land a spacecraft on the moon
"The design concepts and technology roadmaps are really important to have in our hands when the companies are finished," Mary Jo Long-Davis, manager of NASA's Hypersonic Technology Project, said in a statement to ABC News. "We are also collectively conscious of the need to account for safety, efficiency, economic, and societal considerations."
"It's important to innovate responsibly so we return benefits to travelers and do no harm to the environment," Long-Davis said.
veryGood! (79)
Related
- What is best start in NBA history? Five teams ahead of Cavaliers' 13-0 record
- Georgia counties urge state elections board to stop changing rules ahead of November
- Western Alaska Yup’ik village floods as river rises from a series of storms
- How do I take workplace criticism as constructive and not a personal attack? Ask HR
- Quincy Jones' cause of death revealed: Reports
- Voters in Arizona and Montana can decide on constitutional right to abortion
- Mall guard tells jurors he would not have joined confrontation that led to man’s death
- Who was the DJ at DNC? Meet DJ Cassidy, the 'music maestro' who led the roll call
- The Cowboys, claiming to be 'all in' prior to Dak Prescott's injury, are in a rare spot: Irrelevance
- What Ben Affleck Was Up to When Jennifer Lopez Filed for Divorce
Ranking
- Ashton Jeanty stats: How many rushing yards did Boise State Heisman hopeful have vs Nevada
- 'It Ends With Us' star Brandon Sklenar defends Blake Lively, Colleen Hoover amid backlash
- Florida quietly removes LGBTQ+ travel info from state website
- Utah lawmakers want voters to give them the power to change ballot measures once they’ve passed
- Democrat Janelle Bynum flips Oregon’s 5th District, will be state’s first Black member of Congress
- What Ben Affleck Was Up to When Jennifer Lopez Filed for Divorce
- Anthony Edwards trashes old-school NBA: Nobody had skill except Michael Jordan
- Why Adam Sandler Doesn't Recommend His Daughters Watch His New Comedy Special
Recommendation
-
GreenBox Systems will spend $144 million to build an automated warehouse in Georgia
-
Several factors may be behind feelings of hypochondria. Here are the most common ones.
-
Missouri man makes life-or-death effort to prove innocence before execution scheduled for next month
-
Former NL MVP and 6-time All-Star Joey Votto announces his retirement from baseball
-
California voters reject proposed ban on forced prison labor in any form
-
Spanish woman believed to be the oldest person in the world has died at age 117
-
Utah lawmakers want voters to give them the power to change ballot measures once they’ve passed
-
Cute Fall Decor That Has Nothing To Do with Halloween