Is The Next Boom In Travel A Sonic Boom From Boeing? - Forbes
Image via Wikipedia
This October's issue of the science magazine Discover is headlined "The Cure For Everything" issue. One particular cure that is discussed leaves one asked whether the next boom in travel might be a sonic boom from Boeing.
Moore's Law tells us that computational power has increased exponentially from the advent of Intel's 4004 microprocessor in 1971 to Intel's 10-core Xeon Westmere-EX microprocessor of today. There has roughly been a million-fold increase. This advance in computational power has enabled scientists and engineers to tackle problems once considered in the realm of science fiction.
One of the things aerospace engineers have long dreamt about is the ability to model airflows. This is now possible. Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner had "flown" tens of thousands of hours before it ever took to the skies. An article in the aforementioned issue of Discover magazine highlights another very intrigue research program that has been underway for some time: super-sonic flight.
Of course, we all know that there is one little problem with super-sonic flight: the sonic boom. But, with the advancement in computational power, scientists and engineers are able to model the sonic boom itself. By altering the design of the fuselage and wings of an aircraft, one can alter how the sonic boom is created and shaped. Discover magazine states that current designs produce a sonic boom that is only 1.6 percent the loudness of a sonic boom created by the Concord. Engineers believe that within just a few years, designs will produce a sonic boom that is less than 1 percent the loudness of a sonic boom created by the Concord. They believe this would be acceptable to both Congress and the public.
The next challenge will be fuel efficiency. An aircraft flying at a faster speed consumes more fuel per distance than the same aircraft flying at a slower speed. No doubt, designers will eventually find a way to achieve these faster speeds with the same or better fuel efficiency that today's aircraft achieve at slower speeds.
The advent of everyday supersonic travel at today's cost structures has tremendous implications for shipping, commerce, tourism, and the list goes on. A trip from New York to Paris might be under two hours. A trip from Los Angeles to London might be under three hours.
The next logical step would be trans-atmospheric vehicles. Inter-continental travel times would be in the one to two hour range. Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic project seems more of a stepping stone than a novelty.
26 Sep, 2011--
Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGmbSZTo3-N3BcCkZ6-pJPCPyL7yg&url=http://www.forbes.com/sites/toddganos/2011/09/25/is-the-next-boom-in-travel-a-sonic-boom-from-boeing/
~
Manage subscription | Powered by rssforward.com
