this post was submitted on 13 Jan 2024
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NASA and Lockheed Martin formally debuted the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft Friday. Using this one-of-a-kind experimental airplane, NASA aims to

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[–] CptEnder@lemmy.world 44 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Looks like 1950s retro futurism version of a jet

[–] comrade19@lemmy.world 39 points 10 months ago (1 children)

In the future people will even be able to play chess with someone across the world, and even order a pizza to their door on the telephone.

[–] Pons_Aelius@kbin.social 22 points 10 months ago (1 children)

and even order a pizza to their door on the telephone.

While living on the moon. (50s futurists aimed high.)

[–] Meowoem@sh.itjust.works 3 points 10 months ago (2 children)

If we hadn't wasted all our time and resources on wars and luxury yachts we probably would be

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[–] Assman@sh.itjust.works 43 points 10 months ago (1 children)

You can't fool me. That's an H type Nubian yacht from star wars.

[–] billygoat@catata.fish 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] roscoe@startrek.website 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Shut the fuck up! Now Vader, he's a spiritual brother, with the force and all that shit. Then this cracker Skywalker gets his hands on a lightsaber, and the boy decides he's goinna run the fucking universe - gets a whole Klan of whites together, and they're gonna bust up Vader's 'hood - the Death Star. Now what the fuck do you call that?

[–] billygoat@catata.fish 2 points 10 months ago

Intergalactic Civil War?

[–] Xtallll@lemmy.blahaj.zone 33 points 10 months ago (1 children)

If they are taking about an "X-59" it's because the classified tests on the "X-109" went well.

[–] Aurix@lemmy.world 8 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] Xtallll@lemmy.blahaj.zone 30 points 10 months ago

It's classified.

[–] JTskulk@lemmy.world 24 points 10 months ago (1 children)

"NASA aims to gather data that could revolutionize air travel, paving the way for a new generation of commercial aircraft that can travel faster than the speed of sound."

[–] HiddenLayer5@lemmy.ml 21 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (3 children)

I think that is definitely just a cover because they don't want to admit they're actually developing supersonic stealth planes for the military.

[–] BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 15 points 10 months ago

I think that is definitely just a cover because they don't want to admit ~~they're~~ they've actually ~~developing~~ developed supersonic stealth planes for the military.

Ftfy

What they reveal openly is usually from years ago. A couple aerospace friends are always like "yea, we heard scuttlebut about that about 5 years ago, so that means it was already a thing 10 years ago*, haha.

[–] RagingRobot@lemmy.world 9 points 10 months ago

Well hiding the giant boom is probably a good stepping stone to that so yeah

[–] grayman@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

From the eyewitness accounts of whistle blowers, traditional propulsion and modern propulsion are old tech compared to what they have today. Silent and extremely fast already exists.

[–] Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 18 points 10 months ago

This appears to be designed for taking out zeppelins

[–] hal_5700X@lemmy.world 15 points 10 months ago

Looks like something you will see in Ace Combat.

[–] crystalmerchant@lemmy.world 10 points 10 months ago (3 children)

“Across both teams, talented, dedicated, and passionate scientists, engineers, and production artisans have collaborated to develop and produce this aircraft,” said John Clark, vice president and general manager at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works.

What the hell is a production artisan?

[–] SpaceCadet@feddit.nl 18 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Someone with the skills and knowledge to "manually" produce some of the many one-off parts that went into this prototype.

The scientists and engineers may know what kind of part is needed, but it takes a different skillset to produce it.

[–] BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 2 points 10 months ago (3 children)

So like the welders for the Russian rocket engines that were produced 50 years ago? Seems those welds are something we aren't sure how they did it.

[–] SpaceCadet@feddit.nl 2 points 10 months ago

Yeah something like that. Welding is absolutely something that requires skill and talent.

I have a electromechanical engineering degree myself, at some point during my education we had some labs where we did basic welding, milling, lathing and whatnot. The intention was not to become experts at it, but to get notions of what it entails. I quickly understood that theoretical understanding and hands-on experience are entirely different things, and require an entirely different skillset.

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[–] RememberTheApollo@lemmy.world 10 points 10 months ago

Flying hypodermic needle.

[–] peopleproblems@lemmy.world 10 points 10 months ago (9 children)

Guys, check out the cockpit.

I know technology is wildly advanced and he probably has a 360 view now, but other than test pilots, who are you going to get to fly a plane that lacks a forward view?

[–] TheMightyCanuck@sh.itjust.works 10 points 10 months ago

One of the material issues with supersonic is friction heat buildup. Probably can't have a front windshield at that speed.

Cameras and instrumentation will do just fine tho

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 10 points 10 months ago

With that huge honker of a nose, it’s not like you’d see much anyway. Entire cities could hide behind that

[–] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago

but other than test pilots, who are you going to get to fly a plane that lacks a forward view?

This plane will only be flown by test pilots. Its a technology demonstrator. Researchers build one of these to test concepts in physics in the real world.

[–] Poem_for_your_sprog@lemmy.world 6 points 10 months ago

Looks like there's a forward facing camera.

[–] dasJot@feddit.de 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

No instruments, just a microphone to talk to ChatGPT.

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[–] Halcyon@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

With that speed you aren't able to react to anything visible in the flightpath anyway 💨

[–] AstroTechie@lemdro.id 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

It's not supersonic during landing or taxing, which I guess is when a direct view would be more useful.

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[–] bloopernova@programming.dev 6 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Reminds me of a pterosaur somehow.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 9 points 10 months ago

Considering that splitting supersonic shockwaves in the air is kind of analogous to splitting the water when plunge-diving for fish (which at least some pterosaurids are hypothesized to have done), that makes sense.

[–] Overzeetop@sopuli.xyz 2 points 10 months ago

Maybe their ability to go to the bathroom without making any noise was the inspiration?

[–] Daxtron2@startrek.website 6 points 10 months ago

But does the snoot droop

[–] BigBrainBrett2517@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago

Yep. Yes. Ahuh... According to my notes this is what we needed...

[–] sighofannoyance@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago (2 children)
[–] vind@lemmy.world 33 points 10 months ago (7 children)

The Sonic Boom will sound more like your neighbours car door closing than an explosion

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[–] AncientEther@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

How about survey what the birds think?

[–] MataVatnik@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago

"Ooh Yeh"

  • Bird commenting on X-59 project
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