The answer was on the other side of the Pacific, in Japan

It is not enough to promise that a plane is less noisy. You have to prove it. That is what NASA proposed with its X-59an experimental plane that wants to change The future of supersonic flight. To achieve this, I needed data. Very precise data. And therefore, although the project is American, a key part of validation was carried out in Japan, in one of the supersonic reference facilities in Asia.

The X-59 Quesst is an experimental plane created with a very specific mission: demonstrate that it can be flown at supersonic speed without that meaning a rumble on land. What NASA wants to eliminate is not speed, but noise. The classic boom Sonic, that dry burst that rumbles when an plane overcomes the sound barrier, remains one of the great obstacles for supersonic flight Return to commercial aviation. The X-59, on the other hand, promises something different: A slight THUMPbarely noticeable from the ground, thanks to a design that controls – and disintegrates – the shock waves before they are based on an acoustic explosion.

But it is not enough to design a stylized and elongated form. It is not enough to simulate it on a computer or anticipate its behavior with computational models. What defines X-59 is not only its silhouette, but the sonic firm that projects When flies to Mach 1.4. That firm, that acoustic footprint should be measured with surgical precision. And that’s where Japan enters the scene.

NASA did not do everything at home: key part of the validation was done in Japan

Although the epicenter of the project is located in Palmdale, California, under the direction of Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, part of its most delicate validation was carried out on the other side of the planet. Instead of limiting yourself to try your model in your own facilities, NASA decided to repeat the trials In a supersonic wind tunnel of the Japanese space agency (Jaxa), located in Chofu, Tokyo. There, researchers from both agencies They exposed a plane modelreduced to 1.62 % of its actual size – 50 centimeters from tip to tail – to conditions that simulated its cruise speed. The objective was clear: to verify how the air flowed around the aircraft and, above all, register with the highest possible precision level its sonic signature.

Japan’s choice was not symbolic. As NASA itself detailsthis was the third round of wind tunnel tests carried out with that same model: one was made in Ohio, at the Glenn Research Center; another, in the same Jaxa tunnel years before; And the latter, also in Chofu, was raised as part of a cross validation strategy. Even if you put the model in another wind tunnel, a slightly different version of the data is obtained, that is something good, Melissa Carter explainedresponsible for the NASA Supersonic project. “By using the same model in both tunnels, we can increase the certainty of the data and our understanding of the X-59 design.”

The measurement of the pressure profile – the acoustic footprint that leaves the plane when it breaks the sound barrier – does not admit errors. And the best way to reduce any margin of uncertainty is to verify that, under different conditions And with independent instrumentation, the results remain consistent. That is what allows collaboration with Jaxa. As part of an agreement signed in 2020both agencies pledged to share data, compare methodologies and repeat essays in both countries, thus reinforcing the solidity of the entire experiment.

The wind tunnel where the tests were performed is not any. It is a supersonic installation operated by Jaxa, with a section of just over a meter by one meter. Although their dimensions may seem modest, they are ideal for working with very small models such as X-59. In it, the air flow can reach sufficient speeds to simulate real flight conditions, which is just what NASA engineers were looking for.

For Jaxa, the opportunity was also key. The Japanese agency has been developing its own “silent” supersonic flight program for years, With projects like Sky Frontier. Sharing information with NASA allows you refine your own designs, Learn from different approaches and validate your simulation tools with real data. In return, it offers experience, equipment and infrastructure that complement those of the United States.

Images | NASA (1, 2, 3) | Roméo A.

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