NASA’s $247m supersonic jet has broken sound barrier

(Web Desk) – NASA’s $247 million supersonic jet dubbed the “Son of Concorde” has broken the sound barrier for the first time after it zoomed at more than 700mph in a test flight._x000D_
It’s the first step towards a return of super fast flights between London and New York._x000D_
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NASA’s X-59 took off from Edwards Air Force Base in California before zooming over the desert landscape at over 700mph._x000D_
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But the supersonic jet is expected to blow this top speed out of the water “in the coming days”, according to NASA’s ambitious team._x000D_
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NASA’s administrator Jared Isaacman said the X-59 will hit a whopping 925mph in its next flight._x000D_
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“X–59 is getting ready for its quiet supersonic debut”, he added._x000D_
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It usually takes just over seven hours to fly from London to New York._x000D_
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But faster-than-sound travel would cut that time by more than half – to just three hours._x000D_
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The original Concorde was banned in 2003 for generating crushingly loud sound waves._x000D_
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But NASA’s new elite jet has been designed to muffle the deafening supersonic boom of breaking the sound-barrier to a mere “thump”._x000D_
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NASA’s project manager Lori Ozoroski previously described the sound as “like a car door closing” – a big improvement on the “boom” of older supersonic jets._x000D_
In the past, the shockwave has been so big it rattled windows on the ground._x000D_
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But NASA hopes its plane’s new streamlined design will stop the huge thunderclap sound of the sound barrier being broken._x000D_
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The most striking part of the new design is the jet’s needle-like nose._x000D_
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The ultra-thin point takes up almost a third of the X-59’s total length and is designed to break up the sonic shockwave._x000D_
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The super-thin nose means that the cockpit is set far back on the plane – and doesn’t have any front-facing windows._x000D_
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Instead, the pilot steers through several video displays using augmented reality and camera footage.