This is the new starship the main guy will be using in Star Wars…
Nah, joking. This is is an aerodynamics test taking place in Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. And the sleek beauty you are seeing here is a truly quiet supersonic airliner concept, the Icon II developed by Boeing being tested in a wind tunnel.
The purpose here is to see that if the sonic boom and the shockwaves caused by it dissipates before reaching the ground. V-tail design channels the sonic boom backwards so that it stays longer in the air, while the top-mounted engines isolate engine noise.
Says NASA: “We are testing overall vehicle design and performance options to reduce emissions and noise, and identifying whether the volume of sonic booms can be reduced to a level that leads to a reversal of the current ruling that prohibits commercial supersonic flight over land.”
Well, and it looks awesome…
N.
