How fast to break the sound barrier?
The fastest recorded sound barrier-breaking vehicle was the NERVA-X, which on December 22, 1981, reached a speed of Mach 7.8. However, after the initial test, the program was shut down due to the sudden and catastrophic loss of control of the vehicle at hypersonic speeds.
How fast does the sound barrier break?
The sound barrier is not a single speed at which an aircraft can break the barrier. Instead, it is the speed at which an object generates sound waves. This varies depending on the shape and size of the aircraft. Long, thin aircraft travel faster than short, fat ones. Likewise, heavier aircraft travel faster than lighter ones.
How to break the sound barrier?
The sound barrier is broken by exceeding the speed of sound, which is approximately 1,235 miles per hour at sea level. Humans have broken the sound barrier four times in history, first by Chuck Yeager in 1947 with the help of a supersonic jet, then by the Soviet Union and the United States in the 1950s and the most recent time in 2007 by the X-15 rocket-powered aircraft.
How long does it take to break the sound barrier?
It's a question we often hear—how long does it take to break the sound barrier? The answer is different for each vehicle, and depends on many variables. For example, a commercial airliner needs to break the sound barrier twice as often as a private aircraft. Commercial airliners also fly at higher speeds, which means they need to break the sound barrier more often. The duration it takes for a vehicle to reach Mach 1 in any given situation depends on the weight and aerodynamic properties of the vehicle
How to break the sound barrier today?
Speed is the primary factor in how fast a human can push an aircraft through the air. The current speed record for an aircraft is about 1,176 miles per hour, which was set by a U.S. Air Force F-15 in 1997. However, the speed at which sound travels through air is approximately 1,234 miles per hour. To break the sound barrier, you need to go faster than the speed of sound. And there are several ways to do so.