🇺🇸 NASA'S X-59 TAKES FIRST FLIGHT TO KILL THE SONIC BOOM NASA and Lockheed Martin's X-59 achieved its maiden flight on October 28, marking a breakthrough in quiet supersonic travel. The experimental jet reduces the traditional sonic boom to a gentle "thump" - 16 times quieter than current supersonic aircraft. The X-59's unique design could lift the decades-old ban on commercial supersonic flights over land. NASA will collect community response data to help regulators establish acceptable noise standards for future supersonic travel. Project timeline: Wind tunnel tests in 2017, $247.5 million build contract in 2018, first flight in 2025. If successful, commercial versions could cut travel times in half - NYC to LA in under 3 hours, NYC to London in less than 3. From Concorde's window-rattling boom to a barely audible thump. The sound barrier just became a speed bump. Source: @SecDuffyNASA