{"id":663689,"date":"2025-04-19T00:50:39","date_gmt":"2025-04-18T21:50:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/nasa-calibrates-second-shock-sensing-probe-for-x-59-testing\/"},"modified":"2025-04-19T00:50:39","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T21:50:39","slug":"nasa-calibrates-second-shock-sensing-probe-for-x-59-testing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/nasa-calibrates-second-shock-sensing-probe-for-x-59-testing\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA calibrates second shock-sensing probe for X-59 testing"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n NASA test pilot Nils Larson inspects the agency\u2019s F-15D research aircraft at NASA\u2019s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, ahead of a calibration flight for a newly installed near-field shock-sensing probe. Mounted on the F-15D, the probe is designed to measure shock waves generated by the X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft during flight. The data will help researchers better understand how shock waves behave in close proximity to the aircraft, supporting NASA\u2019s Quesst mission to enable quiet supersonic flight over land. Credit: NASA
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When you’re testing a cutting-edge NASA aircraft, you need specialized tools to conduct tests and capture data\u2014but if those tools need maintenance, you need to wait until they’re fixed. Unless you have a backup. That’s why NASA recently calibrated a new shock-sensing probe to capture shock wave data when the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft begins its test flights.<\/p>\n

When an aircraft flies faster than the speed of sound, it produces shock waves that travel<\/a> through the air, creating loud sonic booms. The X-59 will divert those shock waves, producing just a quiet supersonic thump. Over the past few weeks, NASA completed calibration flights on a new near-field shock-sensing probe, a cone-shaped device that will capture data on the shock waves that the X-59 will generate.<\/p>\n

This shock-sensing probe is mounted to an F-15D research aircraft that will fly very close behind the X-59 to collect the data NASA needs. The new unit will serve as NASA’s primary near-field probe, with an identical model NASA developed last year acting as a backup mounted to an additional F-15B.<\/p>\n

The two units mean the X-59 team has a ready alternative if the primary probe needs maintenance or repairs. For flight tests like the X-59’s\u2014where data gathering is crucial and operations revolve around tight timelines, weather conditions, and other variables\u2014backups for critical equipment help to ensure continuity, maintain schedule, and preserve efficiency of operations.<\/p>\n

“If something happ<\/a>ens to the probe, like a sensor failing, it’s not a quick fix,” said Mike Frederick, principal investigator for the probe at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. “The other factor is the aircraft itself. If one needs maintenance, we don’t want to delay X-59 flights.”<\/p>\n

To calibrate the new probe, the team measured the shock waves of a NASA F\/A-18 research aircraft. Preliminary results indicated that the probe successfully captured pressure changes associated with shock waves, consistent with the team’s expectations. Frederick and his team are now reviewing the data to confirm that it aligns with ground mathematical models and meets the precision standards required for X-59 flights.<\/p>\n

Researchers at NASA Armstrong are preparing for additional flights with both the primary and backup probes on their F-15s. Each aircraft will fly supersonic and gather shock wave data from the other. The team is working to validate both the primary and backup probes to confirm full redundancy\u2014in other words, making sure that they have a reliable backup ready to go.<\/p>\n

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\n Citation<\/strong>:
\n NASA calibrates second shock-sensing probe for X-59 testing (2025, April 18)
\n retrieved 18 April 2025
\n from https:\/\/techxplore.com\/news<\/a>\/2025-04-nasa-calibrates-probe.html\n <\/p>\n

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