After more than 50 years of silence imposed by the sonic stamps, the United States has decided open again the heavens on the supersonic flight on the mainland. The Executive order Signed by Trump revokes the 1973 regulations that prohibited these operations on American soil, then motivated by citizen complaints to the deafening roller generated by the planes to overcome the sound barrier, an acoustic impact of up to 110 decibels.
That same year, a concord arrived on the island of Gran Canaria for Make history.
Concorde in the Canary Islands. On June 30, 1973, Spain was part of one of the scientific experiments more unusual and ambitious never undertaken to study the sun: a supersonic flight of the concord that pursued the Shadow of a solar eclipse total about Africa. The geographical location of the Canary Islands, perfectly aligned with The eclipse trajectoryallowed the country to be integrated into an international operation led by scientists from the United States, France and the United Kingdom, with the logistics collaboration of the Spanish Air Force.
That day, the prototype of the Concorde, even without entering into commercial service, took off from Gran Canaria after landing on June 27 with the island covered by Calima. Its objective was not to transport passengers, but to become a flying observatory capable of staying inside the lunar umbra for a record time.
Supersonic laboratory. The mission, developed and coordinated from Toulouse, transformed the Concorde 001 in A scientific platform unprecedented. To do this, the aircraft fuselage was modified drilling its roof and installing quartz crystals that allow the cameras to capture without distortions the infrared emissions of the sun from an altitude of More than 17,000 meters.
Although the British initially opposed the aircraft, Air France accepted their temporary conversion enthusiastically In Air Laboratory. Inside the plane there were hardly any seats: scientists had to be held as they could during the maneuvers, in a small space and adapted to the minimum indispensable for the observations. The rudimentary preparation (including cleaning the windows manually before the flight) contrasted with The magnitude of the challenge scientist they faced: record from the air phenomena impossible to see from the earth’s surface due to atmospheric distortion.
From Gran Canaria to eclipse. Thus, that June 30, 1973, the team of scientists aboard the prototype of the Concorde made one of the most spectacular exploits in the history of observational astronomy: they followed the shadow of a total solar eclipse on Africa during 74 uninterrupted minutesthanks to the ability of the plane to fly more than double the speed of sound.
Don LiebenbergAmerican physicist and organizer of the experiment, was one of the seven investigators on board that since that altitude of 17,000 meters they observed the curvature of the Earth and captured Images of the solar crownthe critical region of the Sun whose emissions can affect from satellites to electrical networks on Earth.
The path of the entire eclipse
The problem. Equipped with infrared cameras installed on carries carved on the roof of the plane, the concorde 001 took off from the island and crossed the sahara behind the lunar umbra, achieving prolonged observations Never before.
The problem? That although scientific results, such as First oscillation indication Five minutes at the intensity of the crown, they were technically impressive, its impact was limited: much of the material remains without digitizing and no significant conclusion was published.
Concord 001 on display
A feat that exceeded the results. As we said, despite the spectacular images and the technical audacity of the mission, the scientific legacy of the Concorde flight It was discreet. Most of the data, stored in hundreds of 35 mm film rolls, It was never digitized Due to lack of resources, and the analyzes were never formally completed. The flight, however, left an indelible mark on the collective memory of astronomers and fans of space exploration.
Liebenberg himself, today attached professor at Clemsson, He recalled in National Geographic The moment when the concord penetrated the shadow of the moon A Mach 2.2 and darkness wrapped the sky in broad daylight. Despite the low immediate scientific profitability, the experiment served as a model for future missions and demonstrated the potential of supersonic flights in solar investigations, a field that still It is still active half a century later.
Historical milestone Although the concord would return to Visit Spain In 1977 (already in commercial service and under sponsorship of El Corte Inglés), its 1973 scale in the Canary Islands was much more transcendent. Not only represented the first operational use of the plane for an international scientific mission, but consolidated Spain as relevant actor in solar research and in European aerospace logistics.
That flight, often forgotten by the general public, symbolizes an era of bold experimentation, where the borders between aviation, astronomy and geopolitics are They blur at the speed of sound.
Broking the myth. If you want also, that was a feat of international collaboration, technical innovation and scientific audacity that opened a door that today Cross again With new tools. For Liebenberg, the eclipse of 1973 was not only an experiment, but A sensory experience Unforgettable: absolute darkness to Mach 2, the vision of the curved horizon, the emotion shared by a handful of researchers determined to run after the shadow of the moon.
Half a century later, the concord with perforated roof and clean windows remains as a testimony that, during more than a fleeting moment, science reached the eclipse and Spain was there To see it.
Image | Spaceaero2
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings