Tony Franklin’s Post

Supersonic commercial flights may soon become a reality, spearheaded by NASA’s X-59 Quiet Supersonic Technology (QueSST) project. This experimental aircraft aims to demonstrate supersonic travel without generating disruptive sonic booms, which have led to bans on overland supersonic flights in many countries. On December 12, 2024, NASA successfully conducted the first maximum afterburner engine run test of the X-59 at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California. The engine, a F414-GE-100, proved capable of providing the necessary thrust while maintaining proper temperature and airflow, validating its coordination with other aircraft systems. The test was a crucial milestone, advancing the X-59 toward its inaugural flight. The X-59’s design builds on research gathered from the Soviet-era Tupolev Tu-144, a supersonic commercial aircraft. The Tu-144’s data informed key technological innovations, enabling NASA to pursue quieter supersonic flight solutions. The X-59 represents a pivotal step toward revolutionizing commercial air travel by drastically reducing travel times between distant locations. If successful, the program could lead to a revival of supersonic travel, shaping the future of aviation. https://lnkd.in/gjGPPD6d

NASA has taken the next step toward verifying the airworthiness for its quiet supersonic X-59 aircraft with the completion of a milestone review that will allow it to progress toward flight. A Flight Readiness Review board composed of independent experts from across NASA has completed a study of the X-59 project team’s approach to safety for the public and staff during ground and flight testing. The review board looked in detail at the project team’s analysis of potential hazards, focusing on safety and risk identification. Flight Readiness Review is the first step in the flight approval process. The board’s work will provide the X-59 team with insights and recommendations toward systems checkouts on the ground and first flight. “It’s not a pass-fail,” said Cathy Bahm, NASA’s Low Boom Flight Demonstrator project manager. “We’ll be getting actions from the board and will work with them to resolve those and work toward the Airworthiness and Flight Safety Review.” NASA and prime contractor Lockheed Martin are developing the X-59 to reduce the sound of a sonic boom to a quieter “thump.” The aircraft is at the center of NASA’s Quesst mission, which will use it to gather data that could revolutionize air travel, potentially paving the way for a new generation of commercial aircraft that can travel faster than the speed of sound. Commercial supersonic flight over land has been banned for more than 50 years because of the noise of sonic booms. #X59 #NASA #QuietSupersonic

A NASA Gulfstream V (NASA5) landed in Australia this week to monitor an upcoming SpaceX Starship mission.  NASA5 arrived in Brisbane on Monday before flying out to Perth on Tuesday ahead of the launch on 11 January.  The mission was outlined in a letter to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by NASA’s Chief of Flight Operations, Brett A. Pugsley. He requested exemptions from lighting regulations for test flights over the Gulf of Mexico and Southwest Texas, aiming to calibrate essential sensors. “Because of the sensitivity of the imaging equipment, all exterior and interior lighting must be reduced to a minimum to calibrate onboard sensors and capture imagery during the planned re-entry event in January 2025,” Pugsley explained. “NASA5 is equipped with TCAS and ADS-B and will be under air traffic control during these lightless operations to mitigate flight safety risks. The crew will monitor TCAS, the relevant ATC frequency, and maintain a visual lookout while performing lightless operations within the designated airspace,” he added. According to Pugsley, NASA5 will capture images of the Starship’s re-entry and peak-heating events about an hour after launch, as it crosses the horizon and lands in the eastern Indian Ocean. Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) International Operations division has stated that an exemption from the FAA will be respected by CASA, allowing NASA5 to conduct the mission rehearsal and operations under the Melbourne Oceanic Centre’s jurisdiction in international waters. “The data gathered is crucial for understanding space vehicle performance, driving design improvements, and ensuring future reusable space vehicles are safer, contributing to humanity’s pursuit of space exploration and scientific progress,” Pugsley wrote. #Avalon2025 #NASA5

Sharing my latest contribution on DroneLife.com about NASA's strategic role in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) integration, highlighted at AUVSI Xponential 2024. This piece delves into NASA’s collaboration with the Department of Transportation and other federal agencies to craft a unified strategy for integrating drones and air taxis into the U.S. transportation system. The insights from Nancy Mendonca, NASA's Deputy Advanced Air Mobility Mission Integration Manager, underscore the importance of community engagement and interagency cooperation in this rapidly evolving field. Read more about the advancements and the strategic approach NASA is taking towards a futuristic transportation landscape... NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Federal Aviation Administration U.S. Department of Transportation NCDOT NCDOT Division of Aviation #aam #utm #mobility #aviation #flying #collaboration AUVSI North Carolina

How @Google Public Sector and @NASA aim to bring genAI to aircraft ground traffic control https://buff.ly/4fo4BGh Google Public Sector and NASA are training AI models to understand the speech, context and instructions needed to get airplanes from the runway to their gates ...

NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Administrator Bill Nelson has taken a flight aboard Electra.aero’s hybrid-electric EL2 Goldfinch ultra short prototype aircraft. The 24-minute flight on Electra’s two-seat fixed-wing aircraft included a series of takeoffs and landings. “Flying aboard this new technology is an inspiring example of how innovation and determination can redefine what’s possible in aviation,” said Nelson. “Advancements in hybrid-electric flight are a critical part of the aviation industry’s transformation toward cleaner, quieter, and more accessible air transportation.” Electra CEO Marc Allen added: “This flight underscores Electra’s commitment to deliver sustainable air travel to communities everywhere. We’re honoured to have Administrator Nelson experience the groundbreaking performance of our prototype aircraft firsthand, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with NASA to advance the future of aviation.” Read full: https://lnkd.in/ewSk5uej

NASA's X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft has achieved a critical milestone with the completion of the Flight Readiness Review. This independent review thoroughly evaluated the project team's safety strategies for ground and flight testing, focusing on hazard assessment and risk identification. The X-59, developed by NASA and Lockheed Martin, aims to reduce sonic booms to quieter "thumps," potentially revolutionizing supersonic air travel over land, which has been banned for over 50 years due to noise concerns. The aircraft is the centerpiece of NASA's Quesst mission, which will gather data to support this goal. With the Flight Readiness Review complete, the project moves towards the Airworthiness and Flight Safety Review, where senior leaders from NASA and Lockheed Martin will review the findings and recommendations. The X-59 team is also preparing for major ground tests, including systems integration, engine runs, and electromagnetic interference testing. Although the X-59 incorporates components from various legacy aircraft, such as the F-16, T-38, and F-117, the integration of these systems presents a unique challenge and learning opportunity for the team as they work towards the aircraft's first flight.

Exciting advancements in aviation are on the horizon with NASA's X-59 aircraft, designed to produce a sonic thump rather than a disruptive sonic boom. This innovative approach could transform air travel by significantly reducing noise pollution, enabling commercial flights to break the sound barrier over land without disturbing communities. Explore the implications of this groundbreaking technology and its potential impact on the future of aviation in our latest blog post. Read more about this fascinating development here: https://ift.tt/HGmaIyb.

Will NASA Astronauts Return to Earth 🌏 in the Starliner? The question on everyone’s mind: Will Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore be making their return trip from the ISS in Boeing’s Starliner? It’s a complicated situation with several factors at play. Here’s a quick update on the challenges: ▪️ Helium Leaks: While concerning, these leaks are manageable, and NASA seems ready to proceed despite them. ▪️ RCS Thruster Issues: This is the primary concern. During the approach to the ISS, five thrusters misfired and were shut down. The root cause remains uncertain, which raises significant safety questions. ▪️ Unmanned Flight Testing: Boeing hasn’t fully tested the updated unmanned flight systems post the last test, as they didn’t anticipate flying the capsule without astronauts again. So, what does this mean? If an emergency arises, NASA could greenlight the Starliner—acknowledging that while the risk isn’t zero, it’s not catastrophic either. However, given NASA’s prudent risk-averse nature, there’s another layer to consider: political optics. Vice President Kamala Harris heads the National Space Council, and any incident with the ISS could become a significant talking point in the upcoming election, potentially benefiting political adversaries. The Starliner’s current challenges include not just the risk of flying with astronauts, but also the potential risks of an unmanned flight due to untested autonomous systems. However, Boeing is closing in on a possible explanation for the thruster issues, which appear to be linked to thermal problems affecting the valves on the aft side of the spacecraft. What are the options? ➡️ Option 1: Send Crew-9 with only two astronauts, allowing Williams and Wilmore to return in February 2025. ➡️ Option 2: (Believe it or not) Smuggling them aboard Crew-8 under the cargo pallet beneath the seats. At this point, the way forward is still unclear. Personally, I’m rooting for Boeing—there’s something inspiring about engineers racing against the clock, and the thermal valve issue seems like a solid lead. Let’s see what unfolds! #SpaceExploration #NASA #Boeing #Starliner #ISS #EngineeringChallenges

New Space flight plan   Provided:-   * We have a modern vision in the commercial operation of spaceflight, the exploitation of technological development, the manufacture of robots, navigation devices, guidance for drones and the possibility of pre-montage of flights.   Also the development in engine technology and the new in the field of solid or fuels   The project   * The project adopts reducing the cost of space flight while taking advantage of the data mentioned above in the introduction By changing the system of the human element (astronauts)   And the necessary training, subsistence space, providing oxygen, atmospheric pressure, living requirements, health care and the necessities of life in general that astronauts need is considered dispensing with them achieves a reduction of approximately 40% of the total   - My project aims to give robots the task of operating with the contribution of the ground launch station   • Robots do not need what the human element needs from the requirements of life   * With this modification, there will be a large space to load the working robots, which will be programmed and developed to work in the space environment to work in the exploration and extraction of precious materials, metals and rare gases, and fill and ship them in the spacecraft to return upon completion of the load to the   - To repeat those trips in the ascent carry the target number of robots to join the previous one to form a sufficient number to carry out the operations entrusted to them   * The materials, metals and gases that will be brought in and imported will be achieved   * Other goals   --Implementation of scientific, industrial and military experiments for the benefit of parties in return for Aal   you depend the flight plan   We need Crew Proven human specializing motion systems in terms of the next step towards Sports to The new project   Thanks to Your honor   My regards to you   ✍️ ALI ELSABBAGH   202‪3 MAY