NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA Public Perception: Community Response to X-59 Quesst Mission: Phase 3 By Dr. Pankaj Dhussa

1. Public Perception: Community Response to X-59
Quesst Mission: Phase 3
Challenge
- The ability to move people and cargo faster
requires a market for supersonic flight, which
means faster than the speed of sound
- Aircraft make a loud sound called a sonic boom
at supersonic speed, dragging it along with
them as long as they’re supersonic
- Phase 3 of NASA’s Quesst mission will
demonstrate quieter supersonic flight, and see
the public in a primary role: helping NASA
provide data to regulators who may revisit the
ban on supersonic flight over land
Conceptual image of NASA’s X-59 in flight
Credit: Lockheed Martin
Schlieren photography to see shock waves
Credit: NASA
Expected Impacts
- Collaboration with communities as NASA flies
the quiet supersonic X-59 aircraft overhead,
and conducts science on the ground
- The ability to get between the east and west
coasts of the U.S. in half the time
- Bringing the world closer together
Partners and/or Participants
Contractor team responsible for conducting
public surveys, acquiring acoustic data, and data
analysis
• Harris Miller Miller & Hanson (prime)
• Blue Ridge Research and Consulting
• Crown Consulting
• Envirosuite
• Hampton University
• Spire
• Westat Inc
Solution & Next Steps
• Phase 1: Build the X-59 and prove it is safe to fly
• Phase 2: Demonstrate that X-59 is as quiet as it
was designed to be
• Phase 3: Fly the X-59 over communities and get
the public’s input as to the acceptable sound level
of overhead supersonic flight
In Phase 3, the Commercial Supersonic Technology
project is responsible for collecting the data, while
the Flight Demonstrations and Capabilities project is
responsible for operating X-59.
Results
Delivery of data that may lead to a revisit of the ban
on supersonic flight over land
If successful, solving a key challenge to a
sustainable supersonic flight market
Testing a ground recording station
Credit: NASA
Example of test area from QSF18 flight series
Credit: NASA