Like walking on the moon, passenger travel at supersonic speeds has faded into the past, when most people would think it belongs to the future.
Since the only supersonic jetliner, the Concorde, was retired in 2003, there have been many proposals for new designs that could hopefully do the two things Concorde could not: avoid loud supersonic booms, and make a profit. Most recent proposals have been for smaller planes for large corporations, or underfunded dreams.
But now the National Aeronautics and Space Agency—the folks who brought us the moon-walks—has turned its attention to the idea of a new generation of supersonic airliners. NASA has worked with both big airframe manufacturers such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing, and smaller industry innovators such as Aerion and Boom, to start the process of research and design.
New designs would incorporate new shapes to lesson the impact of breaking the sound barrier and make the aircraft acceptable to the many places, including the U.S., where sonic booms made Concorde unwelcome.
Nothing definite yet, but with NASA's money (about $390 million worth) in the pot, something might start boiling soon.
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