NASA Wants to Take the Blast Out of Sonic Booms

coondoggie writes to tell us that NASA and JAXA (the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) have announced a partnership to study the sonic boom. Hoping to find the key to the next generation of supersonic aircraft, the research will include a look at JAXA's "Silent Supersonic Technology Demonstration Program." "The change in air pressure associated with a sonic boom is only a few pounds per square foot -- about the same pressure change experienced riding an elevator down two or three floors. It is the rate of change, the sudden onset of the pressure change, that makes the sonic boom audible, NASA said. All aircraft generate two cones, at the nose and at the tail. They are usually of similar strength and the time interval between the two as they reach the ground is primarily dependent on the size of the aircraft and its altitude. Most people on the ground cannot distinguish between the two and they are usually heard as a single sonic boom. Sonic booms created by vehicles the size and mass of the space shuttle are very distinguishable and two distinct booms are easily heard."

It must be asked

[Anonymous Coward]

So the shuttle goes boom boom?

Now we know why...

[Anonymous Coward]

Guile was dropped from Street Fighter II sequels. There's just no more blast in his sonic boom.

Geez, that takes all the fun out of it

[baggins2001]

Where is the fun in that. I kind of like hearing one of those guys step on it a little to hard over New Mexico and Texas.
Yeah, there goes my 20 million dollar plane.
I mean I never get to see them drop bombs, but at least I get to see them tag and make some booms every once and awhile.

Re:Why NASA?

[DriedClexler]

Well, there are *civilian* uses for not having a loud sonic boom, like, being able to fly one of those things over populated areas.

But it certainly sounds like mission creep for JAXA, which is supposed to be more focused on Gundam-style robots.

Re:The Right Stuff

[Red Flayer]

sunborbital ballistic passenger flights... now that would rock(et).

Sunborbital? Is that some new kind of horse tranquilizer? I'm intrigued, and look forward to being tranqued every time I fly.

Re:Now here's something you'll really like!

[WinPimp2K]

Uh oh...

It sounds like moose and squirrel were thwarted. Unfortunately for the Russians Comrade Badenov developed capitalistic streak and did not deliver formula on to glorious Air Force

Re:The Right Stuff

[Anonymous Coward]

...says the advocate of Ethanol.

Re:Why NASA?

[pilgrim23]

NASA is where the budget was available. Oh you mean you thought NASA did SPACE exploration? the first A stands for Aeronautics..... and the last A stands for committee meetings

Re:Go home and be a family man.

[pablomme]

But Guile didn't really yell "Sonic Boom". At that sample rate it sounded more like "Phonic Poo". You'll have to wait for an article about phonic poo to repost your comment.

Re:The Right Stuff

[moderatorrater]

It's better than dealing with the airlines.

Re:Why NASA?

[silentcoder]

So if the pilot takes his girlfriend up in this thing... is that a babyboom ?

Re:The Right Stuff

[philspear]

Were you making some type of joke about vaporware and the low boiling point of alchohol, or are you saying booze is vaporware? Because belive me, it's made it to production. Like thousands of years ago. I'm drunk off my ass rright now.

Re:The hell you can't hear the double boom!

[Chris Burke]

I live in the Edwards Air Force Base restricted air space, so we here many sonic booms in any given week, mostly from small fighter jets. In every instance the double boom is clearly audible, unless it's a tail-less spacecraft like SpaceShipOne. Whenever we hear a single boom, it is blasting going on at the nearby CalPortland Cement Plant limestone quarry or the gold mine.

You're only hearing one boom from the fighter jet. The second boom is caused by the experimental invisible flying saucer made from area 51 technology that is following all of the "conventional" planes. They do it that way so that all you observant but non-clearanced folks on the base won't be suspicious.

Also, while everyone knows that UFOs don't create sonic booms, they haven't figured out that part of the technology yet. That's why NASA is pre-announcing this technology, so that when they finish it people won't be alarmed that suddenly all the super-sonic jets are silent.

Duh.

Re:I think that rocket planes are the way to go

[Red Flayer]

One ballistic impulse of 7 km / sec or so to get up above the atmosphere and on your way is...

a great way to make your jaw come out your ass?

Fine for sturdy cargo, but your common slob (such as myself) could NOT withstand that kind of acceleration. You'd have to make people pass physical fitness tests for insurance purposes... plus you'd have to distribute protective codpieces so that your male passengers wouldn't be scraping their balls off their shoes.

rimshot

[Ungrounded Lightning]

So the shuttle goes boom boom?

It goes "ba-boom". The two booms are far enough to be perceived as distinct but still close enough together to be one event.

Now if it knocks over something metallic it goes "ba-boom, CHING!"

(Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week...)

Re:ajax?

[Concerned Onlooker]

Yes, but then the second shock wave hit and straightened things around.

Where's the kaboom?

[blixel]

There was supposed to be an earth shattering kaboom! [gargaro.com]

Re:rimshot

[Wonko the Sane]

Two drums and a cymbal fall off a cliff

Re:Would be nice if they got the facts right

[ceoyoyo]

NASA likes to use weird units. They find it makes collaborating with the rest of the world more exciting.