Watch the X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology or QueSST being built in this amazing time-lapse that NASA has just shared.
Under construction at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, NASA's new supersonic aircraft is designed to fly at the supersonic speed of 660 mph (1,062 kph) at sea level without producing the loud sonic boom that people on the ground would hear.
The 58-second clip of the construction time-lapse showed how the aircraft's wing, tail assembly and fuselage or forward sections are merged. "The extensive use of features and pre-drilled, full-size fastener holes has significantly reduced the time it takes to locate and fit parts, especially mating large assemblies like this,” said David Richardson, Lockheed Martin program director in NASA's website. “It is sort of like how Legos go together. We used the laser tracker to make sure it is all aligned per the engineering specs before we permanently bolted it all together.”
While the X-59 will surely turn out to be a "cool" plane, it also has an interesting purpose. NASA will fly the aircraft over several communities around the United States to gauge people's reaction to the aircraft's sonic "thump", if at all (as opposed to the loud sonic boom associated with supersonic flight). They hope to be able to reverse the ban on supersonic flight over land and thus cut future air travel time in half.
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Watch the full clip below:
Artist illustration of the X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology aircraft.
Images: Lockheed Martin