1
00:00:00,500 --> 00:00:18,633
♪

2
00:00:18,633 --> 00:00:22,033
What I would like to eventually
see, is a supersonic airliner

3
00:00:22,033 --> 00:00:26,433
that can reduce travel time
by a factor of two for the
average person flying.

4
00:00:26,433 --> 00:00:30,300
Uh, LA to New
York I believe it’s like two,
two and a half hours or so.

5
00:00:30,300 --> 00:00:33,833
Currently we’re limited
by sonic booms.

6
00:00:33,833 --> 00:00:35,367
There’s no regulation
stipulating

7
00:00:35,367 --> 00:00:38,367
what kind of sonic booms can
be projected over land.

8
00:00:38,367 --> 00:00:40,833
Right now the rule is no
sonic booms over land.

9
00:00:42,900 --> 00:00:46,700
The boom is actually a
shock wave, a pressure change…

10
00:00:46,700 --> 00:00:49,433
you think of the aircraft
here, that emanates off

11
00:00:49,433 --> 00:00:50,433
the nose of the aircraft.

12
00:00:50,733 --> 00:00:56,200
Sonic booms are uh
are really just a sound wave.

13
00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:58,133
Just like you’re
hearing my voice now.

14
00:00:58,133 --> 00:01:03,733
Simply put, a sonic boom
is an acoustic disturbance
created when an aircraft,

15
00:01:03,733 --> 00:01:06,400
actually any projectile,
breaks the speed of sound.

16
00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:14,067
It makes a loud crackling
noise which can sound like
a very loud thunder.

17
00:01:14,067 --> 00:01:17,367
Loud, noisy... got a call
today from a woman heard
some sonic booms yesterday,

18
00:01:17,367 --> 00:01:18,900
said it frightened her dog.

19
00:01:18,900 --> 00:01:21,967
Wouldn’t want to hear
something that’s as loud
as a shotgun going off…

20
00:01:21,967 --> 00:01:24,000
um, rattle though your house.

21
00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:26,867
They’re an annoyance,
they’re a disturbance.

22
00:01:30,067 --> 00:01:49,733
♪

23
00:01:49,733 --> 00:01:53,000
Conference room discussion: …
in real time, get ‘em a block

24
00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:56,933
a couple thousand feet around

25
00:01:56,933 --> 00:01:59,433
the altitude (unintelligible)…

26
00:01:59,433 --> 00:02:05,533
just not going to get it done.
Unless it’s an east to west run
or the point is far enough,

27
00:02:05,533 --> 00:02:11,133
is uh, close enough to the
base (voice tapers off).

28
00:02:11,133 --> 00:02:15,700
The WSPR Project is,
it’s part of a bigger
effort in supersonics

29
00:02:15,700 --> 00:02:19,000
that NASA is undertaking with
the long range goal to have

30
00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:20,667
business jets and
airliners that can

31
00:02:20,667 --> 00:02:24,333
fly supersonic 
over the US,

32
00:02:24,333 --> 00:02:27,067
over populated 
areas and not

33
00:02:27,067 --> 00:02:29,533
break windows or 
even disturb the 
population.

34
00:02:29,533 --> 00:02:31,400
This test in particular

35
00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:32,400
goes towards 
establishing that

36
00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:36,600
FAA limitation as 
to what sonic booms 
will be accepted

37
00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:40,467
just like previous testing
was done with airport noise

38
00:02:40,467 --> 00:02:43,900
and seeing the tolerance that
can be tolerated there,

39
00:02:43,900 --> 00:02:45,933
uh, we’re doing the same
thing with sonic booms.

40
00:02:45,933 --> 00:02:51,100
So we do analysis to
figure out what, where
the pilot needs to fly.

41
00:02:51,100 --> 00:02:54,267
Um, we can’t do that until we
have the weather of the day

42
00:02:54,267 --> 00:02:57,967
because weather plays a huge
part in sonic boom placement.

43
00:02:57,967 --> 00:02:59,633
The challenging
part for the team

44
00:02:59,633 --> 00:03:02,967
is that the weather
balloon was going up
while we were briefing,

45
00:03:02,967 --> 00:03:06,067
and the scientists and engineers
are getting the data now

46
00:03:06,067 --> 00:03:08,500
and they’re frantically doing
all these calculations,

47
00:03:08,500 --> 00:03:10,567
so that by the time I get
out to the airplane,

48
00:03:10,567 --> 00:03:12,967
I’ve got these aim points
that I’m flying at.

49
00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:26,767
♪

50
00:03:26,767 --> 00:03:29,867
Pilot to Mission Control:  That
was 123, 1,2,5… and that was
NASA 4.

51
00:03:29,867 --> 00:03:35,533
Mission Control:  Copy that, 8,
5, 0… And NASA 8,5,0 what we
were reading was (unintelligible radio chatter)

52
00:03:35,533 --> 00:03:38,767
As far as the pilot’s
concerned, I’m the person
they’re talking to,

53
00:03:38,767 --> 00:03:41,867
and they’re expecting 
me to help them out 
with their situation

54
00:03:41,867 --> 00:03:44,267
because they’re going to be
busy flying the airplane.

55
00:03:45,300 --> 00:03:46,867
Pilot: Flaps up.

56
00:03:46,867 --> 00:03:50,467
The control room is telling
me a target time that they
want the next boom.

57
00:03:50,467 --> 00:03:54,533
So then I set up a big racetrack
out to the Northeast,

58
00:03:54,533 --> 00:03:56,533
trying to time my return
so that the boom

59
00:03:56,533 --> 00:03:58,933
hits the ground at
the right time.

60
00:03:58,933 --> 00:04:00,967
We use radar tracking
from the ground

61
00:04:00,967 --> 00:04:04,400
and we can position
information from the
aircraft using the radar.

62
00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:06,633
And it tells us where they
are in the airspace and

63
00:04:06,633 --> 00:04:10,333
the two parallel lines there
– the supersonic corridor –

64
00:04:10,333 --> 00:04:12,767
so it just gives us as a
controller on the ground

65
00:04:12,767 --> 00:04:14,833
situational awareness
on where they are.

66
00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:19,067
Pilot: And just for info, seems
like about 130 knots to …

67
00:04:19,067 --> 00:04:21,533
And uh, 8 5 0, you’re
a little broken there

68
00:04:21,533 --> 00:04:25,767
but just wanted to make
sure you heard next
dive point at 0 8 4 0.

69
00:04:25,767 --> 00:04:29,467
Again we’ve got a steer point
out there that I’m going to
roll in and aim at,

70
00:04:29,467 --> 00:04:32,233
so actually, about 8 miles
prior to that I need to be at,

71
00:04:32,233 --> 00:04:37,233
I need to be at 49,000 ft., and
.96 Mach, so still subsonic.

72
00:04:37,233 --> 00:04:41,600
I’m going to roll, pull
down 53 degrees nose
low, so pretty steep…

73
00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:44,167
somewhere in there we’re
going supersonic.

74
00:04:44,167 --> 00:04:48,500
We roll out and we’re trying to
time is so that we hit 1.1 Mach

75
00:04:48,500 --> 00:04:55,233
at 40, 00 ft., aimed at
that dive point out there,
um at 53 degrees nose low.

76
00:04:55,233 --> 00:04:58,767
Oh, and on a proper
heading of 246 degrees.

77
00:04:58,767 --> 00:05:02,933
So, if all that works right,
and the weather balloon got
the right data,

78
00:05:02,933 --> 00:05:05,500
and the engineers did all
their calculations right,

79
00:05:05,500 --> 00:05:09,933
then a boom of a specific, uh,
volume will hit base housing.

80
00:05:09,933 --> 00:05:12,967
With WSPR we’re trying
to get a read back from
people on the ground

81
00:05:12,967 --> 00:05:15,233
to some kind of
annoyance level.

82
00:05:15,233 --> 00:05:20,067
Um, we have about 110
subjects in the Edwards
Air Force Base population

83
00:05:20,067 --> 00:05:22,967
that have been outfitted 
with several different survey
methods.

84
00:05:22,967 --> 00:05:25,900
Pen and paper, iPhone Apple
devices, and web devices.

85
00:05:25,900 --> 00:05:30,833
This research we’re looking for
low boom signatures mostly.

86
00:05:30,833 --> 00:05:34,367
Different days and different
times we’re asking them to do
different levels of sonic booms

87
00:05:34,367 --> 00:05:36,233
– sometimes low,
medium or high.

88
00:05:36,233 --> 00:05:38,533
So depending on the
overpressures from the booms,

89
00:05:38,533 --> 00:05:44,333
how annoying was this low
boom, how annoying was
this more moderate boom.

90
00:05:44,333 --> 00:05:45,767
And they’ll be
submitting surveys

91
00:05:45,767 --> 00:05:48,600
when they hear sonic booms
produced by our F-18 jets.

92
00:05:48,600 --> 00:06:03,033
♪

93
00:06:03,033 --> 00:06:07,633
We have about 14-15
different sensors out there
to record the sonic booms.

94
00:06:07,633 --> 00:06:10,300
We have what we call our
sonic boom field kits.

95
00:06:10,300 --> 00:06:13,333
They’re remotely triggered
sonic boom sensors,

96
00:06:13,333 --> 00:06:15,800
they’re on light posts
throughout the community.

97
00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:19,033
they’re powered by
solar panel arrays and

98
00:06:19,033 --> 00:06:21,867
then we have a microphone
sitting towards the
bottom on the ground

99
00:06:21,867 --> 00:06:24,400
that actually records
the sonic booms.

100
00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:28,500
Then we use that data, convert
that into some type of metric
like a decibel level,

101
00:06:28,500 --> 00:06:34,833
and compare that to what
Jack and Jill heard in their
houses during the testing.

102
00:06:34,833 --> 00:06:36,400
♪

103
00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:39,567
What we have is another
sonic boom sensor.

104
00:06:39,567 --> 00:06:42,567
This one’s protected by an
all-weather dog house.

105
00:06:43,500 --> 00:06:47,667
Once I get the call that the
aircraft has started that dive
maneuver,

106
00:06:47,667 --> 00:06:51,500
I’ll come over here and wait
approximately 2 minutes or so

107
00:06:51,500 --> 00:06:53,333
for the sonic boom to
reach the ground and…

108
00:06:53,333 --> 00:06:58,400
Voice on radio/phone:
NASA 2, this is
(unintelligible)…. .746

109
00:06:58,400 --> 00:07:01,833
…um, come over here and
manually trigger it once
I hear a sonic boom.

110
00:07:01,833 --> 00:07:05,633
NASA 2, this is NASA Ground.
We heard boom the ground…

111
00:07:05,633 --> 00:07:09,667
might be quieter than the
last one… pretty low…

112
00:07:09,667 --> 00:07:12,667
We have specific calls that 
they want us to make,

113
00:07:12,667 --> 00:07:17,700
most of it is so that the
team on the ground knows when
we’re going to be rolling in,

114
00:07:17,700 --> 00:07:21,367
and then after that when the
boom is going to hit them,

115
00:07:21,367 --> 00:07:26,867
so that they make sure that the
instruments are all recording
and capture that data.

116
00:07:26,867 --> 00:07:31,100
Control Room Voice: 30
second up. 30 seconds.

117
00:07:31,100 --> 00:07:33,400
Larry Cliatt:  Copy Airborne.

118
00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:38,600
Ground Operator: Six Seconds.

119
00:07:39,367 --> 00:07:41,767
Pilot: Rolling in 3, 2, 1, now.

120
00:07:43,167 --> 00:07:45,167
Michael Holtz: Copy mark.

121
00:07:53,933 --> 00:07:55,933
Sonic boom sound

122
00:07:59,667 --> 00:08:01,500
Off Camera Voice:
How was that one?

123
00:08:01,500 --> 00:08:04,167
Very low…. Just like
its supposed to be.

124
00:08:04,167 --> 00:08:07,100
♪

125
00:08:07,100 --> 00:08:10,333
We’re planning on going 
Mach 1.8, Mach 1.6.

126
00:08:10,333 --> 00:08:13,733
So the cruise 
speed is roughly 
twice as fast as

127
00:08:13,733 --> 00:08:15,867
a typical 
subsonic 
airliner.

128
00:08:15,867 --> 00:08:19,100
We’re trying to advance to
advance the technologies
in supersonics

129
00:08:19,100 --> 00:08:21,733
to allow companies
that are around today

130
00:08:21,733 --> 00:08:23,567
and that aren’t
even around today,

131
00:08:23,567 --> 00:08:27,367
will be able to 
take the technology
that we develop here,

132
00:08:27,367 --> 00:08:30,400
and the understanding 
of the physics that we 
do here today,

133
00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:33,500
to open up a whole new
market for the future.

134
00:08:35,067 --> 00:08:37,600
If long term we’re going to have
business jets and airliners,

135
00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:41,967
they’re going to have to
be quieter than military
fighters or the Concord…

136
00:08:41,967 --> 00:08:45,233
everyone knows about the
Concord, well it made a
very big sonic boom

137
00:08:45,233 --> 00:08:49,033
and that disturbed
people, it couldn’t fly
over land or cities.

138
00:08:49,033 --> 00:08:55,100
♪

139
00:08:55,100 --> 00:08:56,867
The sonic booms we’re
producing for WSPR

140
00:08:56,867 --> 00:09:01,000
are what we are 
simulating will be what we 
call low sonic booms

141
00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:03,500
or what the next generation
of aircraft will produce.

142
00:09:04,567 --> 00:09:06,433
♪

143
00:09:06,433 --> 00:09:11,367
Performing research then becomes
technology that’s transferred to
the commercial world.

144
00:09:11,367 --> 00:09:16,167
I think that, at the heart,
is what NASA’s role is.

145
00:09:16,167 --> 00:09:20,000
♪

146
00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:22,500
To understand where we’ve
been, and where we’re headed

147
00:09:22,500 --> 00:09:24,000
and where we are now
along that path,

148
00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:26,467
I think is critical for the
population to realize.

149
00:09:26,467 --> 00:09:29,467
And this type of research
brings what we’re doing

150
00:09:29,467 --> 00:09:32,400
right there to the homes
of the people we’re
trying to do this for.

151
00:09:32,400 --> 00:09:34,667
It’s a new market, a
new type of aircraft.

152
00:09:34,667 --> 00:09:36,900
If the United States
takes the lead in that,

153
00:09:36,900 --> 00:09:39,300
that’s jobs for the
American tax payer.

154
00:09:39,300 --> 00:09:42,767
In 1947, Chuck Yeager
broke the sound barrier.

155
00:09:42,767 --> 00:09:45,433
So I like to think that
it’s my job to fix it now.

156
00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:52,533
♪

157
00:09:52,533 --> 00:09:54,066
Sonic boom

158
00:09:54,067 --> 00:10:00,000
♪

159
00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,000
Pilot: That’s the Compass
Rose behind them…

160
00:10:06,100 --> 00:10:13,933
Pilot: Pointing straight down…
holding it, holding it .62
Mach.

161
00:10:19,733 --> 00:10:22,700
Think we covered
most of it, so….