Shockwaves never looked so smooth Ames researchers created a... supercomputer simulation of the X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft to analyze the vehicle's potential performance. The dark and bright regions represent shockwaves and pressure variations. Weaker shockwaves spread from the lower surface of the aircraft, resulting in reduced noise at ground level. Video credit: NASA Ames/ Marina Nemec, Patrick Moranshow more

🇺🇸NASA is gearing up for the second flight of... its X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft. The X-59 completed engine run testing on March 12 at Armstrong Flight Research Center and will do a roughly one-hour flight from its hangar to Edwards Air Force Base, reaching 260 mph at 20,000 feet to start envelope expansion tests. Source: NasaGovshow more

Envelope expansion isn't just about going higher and faster... for an X-plane like NASA's quiet supersonic X-59. It's also about understanding how a one-of-a-kind aircraft operates in flight. With each maneuver, engineers collect data and learn more about the aircraft's performance. Learn more about the X-59's most recent flight test maneuvers here:show more

✈️ A historic moment for the X-59 and NASA's... Quesst mission. Watch the moment the X-59 exceeded the speed of sound for the first time ever, marking a major milestone on the path toward demonstrating quiet supersonic flight over land. The display shows Mach 1.07, but the aircraft is actually at Mach 1.0. The difference comes from the system's calibration, which makes the shown value slightly higher than the true speed. The calibration will continue fine-tuning as we expand the X-59's flight envelope. Learn more: #NASA #X59 #Quesstshow more

As a kid, Southern California native Kathryn Chapman saw... firsthand the devastation of wildfires. Now, as a NASA Aeronautics researcher at NASA Ames, she's finding new ways to fight fires on the ground and in the air. Be inspired by her Surprisingly STEM story.show more

🇺🇸 NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic jet just completed its... first “wheels-up” flight! The sleek new aircraft showed off its streamlined design, built specifically to turn the traditional deafening sonic boom into nothing more than a quiet thump. This is a huge step toward bringing back supersonic flight over land. If the X-59 works as planned, we could one day fly from New York to London in half the time without rattling windows below. The future of fast travel just got a lot quieter. Source: NASA Aeronauticsshow more

🇷🇺 ANOTHER AIRCRAFT FULLY PRODUCED IN RUSSIA: The Il-114-300... passenger aircraft is completing flight tests in Altai, the Ministry of Industry and Trade reported. The aircraft is made entirely of Russian components. As part of the tests, the Il-114-300 flew from Gorno-Altaysk to Baikonur and back. The aircraft is being developed for local airlines, with the potential for deployment in remote regions. It will be capable of operating autonomously from small airfields with short, unpaved runways. It is also planned for use in Arctic regions under low-temperature conditions. -> This is a third aircraft model that is fully produced with Russian parts. Western airplanes will never return to the Russian market and Russian allies, like BRICS will buy these too (even to avoid potential sanctions). Cutting off Boeing and airbus marketshare.show more

Are you feeling your building shake or the ground... vibrate in Miami? 6.5 earthquake just now a little south of Santiago de Cuba a few moments ago and we can see the shockwaves reach South Florida. Video is from North Tower, Quantum in the Bay, Edgewater Miami from resident Daniel Barragan. Link:show more

🇺🇸 NASA AND LOCKHEED TEST SUPERSONIC JET THAT DOESN'T... GO BOOM NASA and Lockheed Martin just flew a supersonic jet designed to make only a "gentle thump" instead of the terrifying sonic boom that's banned commercial supersonic travel over land since the 1940s. The X-59 test flight over California could eventually cut NYC to LA travel time in half. Supersonic flight has existed since 1947, but the explosive noise rattled windows and freaked people out, so it was banned over US land. The Concorde did transatlantic flights until a 2003 crash killed the service. If this quiet jet works, supersonic commercial travel could finally return. Source: Associated Pressshow more

NEW: President Trump has signed an executive order to... scrap regulations that ban supersonic commercial air travel. The supersonic flight regulation was imposed in 1973 due to noise concerns. Trump's order "seeks to revolutionize supersonic aviation in the United States" by letting aircraft fly faster than the speed of sound. "The US used to be the global leader in this technology, but stifling regulations have grounded progress for generations," said director of the WH Office of Science and Technology Policy, Michael Kratsios. "The reality is that Americans should be able to fly from New York to LA in under four hours." More from the White House: - This Order removes regulatory barriers so that U.S. companies can dominate supersonic flight once again. - The Order directs the FAA to repeal the prohibition on overland supersonic flight, establish an interim noise-based certification standard, and repeal other regulations that hinder supersonic flight. - The Order instructs the FAA Administrator to establish a standard for supersonic aircraft noise certification that considers community acceptability, economic reasonableness, and technological feasibility. - The Order advances the coordination of supersonic research, development, test and evaluation efforts through the National Science and Technology Council with leadership from the Office of Science and Technology Policy. - It promotes international engagement through the FAA and other agencies to align global supersonic flight regulations and secure bilateral agreements for international operations. The following video is a collaboration between Boom Supersonic and United Airlines, showing what the future could look like with supersonic flights.show more

🇪🇸 BREAKING: Spain plans to take delivery of six... additional Airbus A400M transport aircraft over the next four years, citing the aircraft’s strong performance with the Spanish Air and Space Force. Spain originally ordered 27 A400M aircraft in 2001 but reduced the number to 14 in 2013 due to budget cuts. The remaining 13 were intended for sale on the open market, though no buyer has emerged so far. The Spanish Ministry of Defence now intends to receive six of those remaining aircraft, increasing the fleet to 20 and leaving seven airframes still available for potential export.show more

“The purpose of flight research is to separate the... real from the imagined problems and to make known the overlooked and the unexpected.” – Hugh L. Dryden, former NACA administrator and NASA’s first deputy administrator X-planes – experimental aircraft – are developed for a wide range of flight research missions: from technology and concept demonstrators to unmanned test vehicles and full-scale prototypes. At NASA Armstrong, the X-1 was the first in a long line of research aircraft that helped shape our culture of innovation and discovery. Our high-speed, high-altitude flight campaigns have explored everything from thermal conditions and structural integrity to control, maneuverability, and human physiology – all essential to the advancement of aviation and spaceflight. Which NASA X-planes can you spot in this video? 👀 ✈️ Learn more about X-planes here:show more

✈️ The enemy has no chances when the Su-34... aircraft is in the sky ▫️ The Su-34 multi-purpose fighter-bomber is designed to deliver missile and bombing raids at ground facilities in operational and tactical depths as well as to engage enemy air threats. ▫️ The aircraft is equally effective in all conditions: day and night, on a bright day, and under heavy rain, under fire or electronic warfare of the enemy. 💥 Today, Su-34 aircraft operate around the clock in the special military operation zone. They conduct reconnaissance, hit air targets, and deliver crushing strikes at enemy ground facilities. ▶️ Would you like to see Russian aircraft in action? Turn on the video! 🔹 Russian Defence Ministryshow more

American Airlines flight AA954 returns to Buenos Aires Airport... after a ground worker gets trapped in the cargo hold. Flight attendants alerted the pilots to a banging noise coming from the cargo hold as the aircraft was heading to New York. An hour into the flight the crew decided to make an immediate return to Buenos Aires. After landing the aircraft was met by heavily armed police who used a cargo loader to gain access to the hold and storm the aircraft as they searched for a potential suspect. The condition of the airport worker is currently unknown. 📹 Señora de Snoopyshow more

For too long, we got comfortable with minimal progress... in aviation. That’s changing. From X-59 and quiet supersonic flight to the ambitious missions ahead in and out of our atmosphere, President Donald J. Trump has challenged us to take on the big, bold endeavors again. We are rebuilding a grand fleet of NASA X-planes. We’re getting new gear again.show more

🚀 Breaking New Ground in Supersonic Flight! Carried by... a Starfighters F-104 aircraft, last week GE Aerospace announced it has successfully completed supersonic captive carry flight tests of its ATLAS Flight Test Vehicle, marking a major milestone in advancing solid fuel ramjet (SFRJ) propulsion technology. 🌍✈️ The system reached supersonic speeds during three successful flights at Kennedy Space Center. This achievement showcases the potential of air-breathing propulsion to extend the range of munitions and paves the way for future high-speed systems. See more on how the team is continuing to evolve and grow the technology.show more

In case you were wondering, this is how it... works. A towbarless aircraft tug is used to push an aircraft back from the gate. Instead of using a towbar, it drives up to the nose wheels, clamps them in place and lifts the nose landing gear slightly off the ground. The main landing gear stays on the ground at all times. Once secured, the tug controls the steering and carefully pushes the aircraft into position for taxi. Only a small part of the aircraft's weight rests on the nose gear which is why even large aircraft like the Boeing 777 can be moved safely and smoothly. After pushback, the tug lowers the nose wheels and disconnects, and the pilots continue taxiing.show more

NASA used a supercomputer to build a mind-bending simulation... of falling into a black hole. Once you cross the point of no return, you have 12.8 seconds left to exist. To visualize these final seconds, NASA scientists ran the math of general relativity on a supercomputer, generating 10 terabytes of data in 5 days. The simulation shows a camera plunging into a supermassive black hole where light warps and space flows inward. The actual descent takes 3 hours, but to a distant observer, your image would freeze at the edge forever. A century of Einstein's equations, finally playing as video.show more

Islamabad-based aviation company, MachAlpha, designed this Ekranoplan aircraft. This... class of aircraft uses ground effect to enhance lift while operating very close to the surface, most often, the sea. MachAlpha performed a full design study and comprehensive performance characteristic analysis in-sim. It will be interesting to see this aircraft take flight. And I hope MachAlpha are able to partner on a project that links them up with manufacturing capabilities.show more

Dramatization (and I underline dramatization) of the shootdown from... the movie "Bridge of Spies" (2015). Besides the diplomatic problems, the incident showed that even high-altitude aircraft were vulnerable to Soviet surface-to-air missiles (SAM). In response, the United States shifted its B-47, B-52, and B-58 bombers to high-speed, low-level operations and accelerated development of the supersonic F-111. It also sped up the Corona spy satellite program and the CIA’s Lockheed A-12 OXCART spyplane. 📹JJ´s War Storiesshow more

An A-6E Intruder lands on USS America on February... 16, 1991. After landing, the aircraft loses all braking power and is unable to stop, resulting in the two crew members ejecting from the aircraft. In the video you can see deck crew racing to grab the two crewmen as their inflated parachutes cause them to slide across the abrasive deck. Both crewmen will sustain minor injuries as a result of the incident. The Intruder is later pushed over the side of the ship and into the water by a small crane as returning aircraft from strike missions in Iraq were running low on fuel and needed to land on the carrier.show more