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Stunning NASA pictures reveal how supersonic jets create shockwaves

Experimenting with a new photographic technology, NASA's images could help develop jets that can quietly break the sound barrier.

Thursday 7 March 2019 11:52, UK

The stunning NASA images show the force of supersonic planes. Pic: NASA
Image: The stunning NASA images show the force of supersonic planes. Pic: NASA
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Stunning images captured by physicists at NASA experimenting with a new photographic technology have revealed how supersonic aircraft's shockwaves move and interact.

The photographs could help the agency develop jets which break the sound barrier without producing a sonic boom, but instead a much quieter rumble.

When NASA scientist JT Heineck got his first glimpse of the images after more than a decade of work on the project, he said: "We never dreamt that it would be this clear, this beautiful."

The advanced air-to-air technology was tested in flight, and captured the first ever images of shockwaves from two interacting supersonic aircraft.

One of the greatest challenges of the flight series was timing. In order to acquire this image, originally monochromatic and shown here as a colorized composite image, NASA flew a B-200, outfitted with an updated imaging system, at around 30,000 feet while the pair of T-38s were required to not only remain in formation, but to fly at supersonic speeds at the precise moment they were directly beneath the B-200. The images were captured as a result of all three aircraft being in the exact right pl
Image: The images show the shockwaves caused by supersonic planes. Pic: NASA

"I am ecstatic about how these images turned out," said Mr Heineck.

"With this upgraded system, we have, by an order of magnitude, improved both the speed and quality of our imagery from previous research."

The pictures capture image of shockwaves - rapid changes in pressure which are produced when an aircraft flies faster than the speed of sounds.

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The shockwaves merge as they travel through the atmosphere, and create a sound which is heard on the ground as a sonic boom.

Credits: NASA Image The X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology X-plane, or QueSST, will test its quiet supersonic technologies by flying over communities in the United States. X-59 is designed so that when flying supersonic, people on the ground will hear nothing more than a quiet sonic thump 鈥� if anything at all. The scientifically valid data gathered from these community overflights will be presented to U.S. and international regulators, who will use the information to help them come up with rules b
Image: The study will help develop the X-59 aircraft. Pic: NASA

The planes featured in the photographs are T-38s, which were flying only 30 feet apart from each other, while being photographed by a trailing plane only ten feet below them.

"We're looking at a supersonic flow, which is why we're getting these shockwaves," said Neal Smith, a NASA research engineer.

"What's interesting is, if you look at the rear T-38, you see these shocks kind of interact in a curve," he added.

"This is because the trailing T-38 is flying in the wake of the leading aircraft, so the shocks are going to be shaped differently. This data is really going to help us advance our understanding of how these shocks interact."

Using the schlieren photography technique, NASA was able to capture the first air-to-air images of the interaction of shockwaves from two supersonic aircraft flying in formation. These two U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School T-38 aircraft are flying in formation, approximately 30 feet apart, at supersonic speeds, or faster than the speed of sound, producing shockwaves that are typically heard on the ground as a sonic boom. The images, originally monochromatic and shown here as colorized composite i
Image: The images show the shockwaves of two aircraft interacting. Pic: NASA

The photography technique, known as Schlieren photography, relies on variations in the refraction of light caused by the pressure changes in the atmosphere.

Upgrades to NASA's Schlieren technology meant that the new photographs provide three times the amount of data in the same amount of time.

"We're seeing a level of physical detail here that I don't think anybody has ever seen before," said Dan Banks, senior research engineer at NASA.

"Just looking at the data for the first time, I think things worked out better than we'd imagined. This is a very big step."

Credits: NASA Photo When aircraft fly faster than the speed of sound, shockwaves travel away from the vehicle, and are heard on the ground as a sonic boom. NASA researchers use this imagery to study these shockwaves as part of the effort to make sonic booms quieter, which may open the future to possible supersonic flight over land. The updated camera system used in the AirBOS flight series enabled the supersonic T-38 to be photographed from much closer, approximately 2,000 feet away, resulting i
Image: Shockwaves were captured using Schlieren photography. Pic: NASA

The images were originally monochromatic - just shown in shades of grey - but have been colourised by NASA to highlight the pressure changes.

They will be studied to contribute to the development of the X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology X-plane, which will soon test its quiet supersonic technologies by flying over residential communities in the US.

The X-59 is designed so that when flying supersonic, people on the ground will hear nothing more than a quiet sonic thump - if anything at all - according to NASA.

Using data gathered in the new photographs, scientists will present details on the noise of these jets to regulators in the US and internationally to help develop rules regarding noise levels for supersonic flights over land.

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