NASA and Lockheed Martin formally debuted the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft Friday. Using this one-of-a-kind experimental airplane, NASA aims to

    • comrade19@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      In the future people will even be able to play chess with someone across the world, and even order a pizza to their door on the telephone.

      • Pons_Aelius@kbin.social
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        2 years ago

        and even order a pizza to their door on the telephone.

        While living on the moon. (50s futurists aimed high.)

          • Pons_Aelius@kbin.social
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            2 years ago

            I agree. But sadly, a lot of progress is driven buy conflict as well.

            Unless a nation is under an existential threat there is little motivation to invest in progress.

            • comrade19@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              If you can order a missile strike a country away, you should bee able to put a pizza in it. Progress

  • Xtallll@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    2 years ago

    If they are taking about an “X-59” it’s because the classified tests on the “X-109” went well.

  • peopleproblems@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    Guys, check out the cockpit.

    I know technology is wildly advanced and he probably has a 360 view now, but other than test pilots, who are you going to get to fly a plane that lacks a forward view?

    • TheMightyCanuck@sh.itjust.works
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      2 years ago

      One of the material issues with supersonic is friction heat buildup. Probably can’t have a front windshield at that speed.

      Cameras and instrumentation will do just fine tho

      • Ducky@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        The heat is from compression, not friction. And besides that, this thing is only flying at mach 1.5, there are TONS of aircraft that fly at those speeds (and much faster) with windshields.

        The reason it doesn’t have a front windshield is because the change in shape of the aircraft at the windshield, to be more vertical, was disrupting their method of reducing the sonic boom. The aircraft needs the shape it has, so a windshield would have to be like 20 feet long to offer any forward visibility.

    • AA5B@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      With that huge honker of a nose, it’s not like you’d see much anyway. Entire cities could hide behind that

    • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      but other than test pilots, who are you going to get to fly a plane that lacks a forward view?

      This plane will only be flown by test pilots. Its a technology demonstrator. Researchers build one of these to test concepts in physics in the real world.

  • crystalmerchant@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    “Across both teams, talented, dedicated, and passionate scientists, engineers, and production artisans have collaborated to develop and produce this aircraft,” said John Clark, vice president and general manager at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works.

    What the hell is a production artisan?

    • DefederateLemmyMl@feddit.nl
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      2 years ago

      Someone with the skills and knowledge to “manually” produce some of the many one-off parts that went into this prototype.

      The scientists and engineers may know what kind of part is needed, but it takes a different skillset to produce it.

      • BearOfaTime@lemm.ee
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        2 years ago

        So like the welders for the Russian rocket engines that were produced 50 years ago? Seems those welds are something we aren’t sure how they did it.

        • DefederateLemmyMl@feddit.nl
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          1 year ago

          Yeah something like that. Welding is absolutely something that requires skill and talent.

          I have a electromechanical engineering degree myself, at some point during my education we had some labs where we did basic welding, milling, lathing and whatnot. The intention was not to become experts at it, but to get notions of what it entails. I quickly understood that theoretical understanding and hands-on experience are entirely different things, and require an entirely different skillset.

  • rickdg@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    It’s like a blind Pinocchio flying at the speed of sound controlled by a touch screen. 2024, ladies and gents.