Supersonic Aircraft Model
The
window in the sidewall of the 8- by 6-foot supersonic wind tunnel at
NASA's Glenn Research Center shows a 1.79 percent scale model of a
future concept supersonic aircraft built by The Boeing Company. In
recent tests, researchers evaluated the performance of air inlets
mounted on top of the model to see how changing the amount of airflow at
supersonic speeds through the inlet affected performance. The inlet on
the pilot's right side (top inlet in this side view) is larger because
it contains a remote-controlled device through which the flow of air
could be changed.
The work is part of ongoing research in
NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate to address the
challenges of making future supersonic flight over land possible.
Researchers are testing overall vehicle design and performance options
to reduce emissions and noise, and identifying whether the volume of
sonic booms can be reduced to a level that leads to a reversal of the
current ruling that prohibits commercial supersonic flight over land.
Image Credit: NASA/Quentin Schwinn