Supersonic transportation refers to vehicles that can travel faster than the speed of sound, primarily air and space vehicles. The speed of sound is around 768 miles per hour, and breaking the sound barrier creates a sonic boom. Commercial supersonic travel was pioneered with the Concorde in the late 1970s but was controversial due to noise and environmental concerns. Supersonic jet aircraft are mainly used in military combat, and spacecraft also reach supersonic speeds during takeoff and reentry.
Anything that travels faster than the speed of sound is described as “supersonic.” Supersonic transportation refers to any vehicle that can carry passengers or cargo at these speeds. This is generally limited to air and space vehicles, which are free of the friction encountered by land and water vehicles. Supersonic transportation was pioneered in the 1950s. In modern times, it is used primarily by military aircraft, although commercial supersonic travel is sometimes available as well.
The speed of sound is around 768 miles per hour (1,235 km/h), although this varies slightly depending on atmospheric conditions. This is the speed at which sound waves travel through air. Both natural and man-made phenomena are capable of exceeding this speed. For example, lightning often precedes thunder during a storm because light travels faster than sound. A whip crack is also created when the end of the whip briefly exceeds the speed of sound.
This phenomenon is called “breaking the sound barrier” and is accompanied by an audible report, called a “sonic boom.” During World War II, some of the first jet aircraft were said to be able to reach these speeds. However, the first official supersonic transport was an experimental aircraft flown by test pilot Chuck Yeager in 1947. An aircraft moving at the speed of sound is said to travel at Mach 1. An aircraft moving at twice that speed travels to Mach 2, and so on; Vehicles traveling at Mach 5 or higher are said to be “hypersonic.”
Advances in avionics engineering led to the creation of commercial supersonic transport in the late 1970s. This aircraft was called the Concorde and could cross the Atlantic Ocean in just over three hours, instead of at least eight hours for a single flight. subsonic. Initially, supersonic transport was considered the future of air passenger transport. However, the aircraft were controversial due to noise and environmental concerns. The economic advantages of the aircraft were not great, and after a French Concorde crash in 2000, the aircraft was retired in favor of more conventional modern aircraft.
Supersonic jet aircraft are used in the military forces of nations around the world. They are mainly used in combat aircraft, which require great speed and maneuverability. Spacecraft also reach supersonic speeds during takeoff and reentry. The US space shuttle program, like Concorde, was retired in 2011. As commercial space travel becomes more common in the future, civilians will once again be able to enjoy supersonic transportation.
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