Just over a month after a civilian jet shattered the sound barrier, Boom Supersonic and NASA have unveiled a photograph from one of the aircraft’s significant test flights over the Mojave Desert.
The image shared on Monday features the XB-1 aircraft, which Boom Supersonic claims is the “first civil supersonic jet manufactured in America,” captured during its second supersonic flight on February 10. The company announced its collaboration with NASA, utilizing a technique called Schlieren photography to reveal phenomena not visible to the naked eye.
“This image brings the unseen into view,” said Boom Supersonic founder and CEO Blake Scholl in a news release.
NASA/Boom Supersonic Handout
According to the Colorado-based company, chief test pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg needed to position the XB-1 correctly to enable NASA’s team on the ground to capture photographs of it in-flight as it passed in front of the sun. Teams utilized telescopes equipped with specialized filters capable of detecting air distortions such as shock waves to obtain the image.
The photograph was taken during the XB-1’s 13th overall test flight but marked its second instance of achieving supersonic speed, hitting Mach 1.18, or 772 mph, as reported by Boom Supersonic.
Scholl noted that the XB-1 did not produce a detectable sonic boom, which typically accompanies an aircraft flying faster than the speed of sound. The data obtained indicates that under specific speeds and atmospheric conditions, the sonic boom refracts in the atmosphere and does not reach the ground. This discovery could potentially pave the way for supersonic commercial flights without the associated sonic booms, as highlighted in the company’s news release.
NASA first captured supersonic shock waves visually in 2019, following a decade of research. This technology was partially developed to assist the space agency in evaluating its own supersonic aircraft, the X-59.
“Understanding the patterns of air movement provides valuable insights into vehicle performance, efficiency, and areas for improvement,” stated Ed Haering, principal investigator for the Schlieren photography project, in a 2023 NASA news release.
