- Compete in a paper X-59 circuits activity
- Test your knowledge with "Fantastic Forces"
- Learn about the "Axes of Flight”
- "See Sound” with a demo from NASA
- Explore supersonic jets in the past
- Subject matter expert to speak at 2:30pm in our auditorium
An X-59 Event for All Ages
Hosted in collaboration with NASA Aeronautics
Sunday, April 24, 2022
Join us from 1pm - 4:30pm for a day of awesome STEM activities!
Activities to include:
What is the X-59?
One of NASA’s newest experimental aircraft, the X-59 (QueSST) is designed to lower the noise created by planes flying faster than the speed of sound. When planes fly supersonic (faster than the speed of sound), the pressure waves they create combine together and produce a very loud noise called a sonic boom. This noise is so loud that it can damage property and disturb animals.
A unique feature of the X-59 is the placement of two canards in front of the wings. These look like small wings, but they aren’t designed to create lift for the plane. Instead, they help change the movement of the pressure waves so they don’t combine and form the loud sonic boom. Instead, the plane creates a series of sonic “thumps” which are much quieter than booms. The effects of these thumps will be tested in locations around the United States to see if this lower noise level is more acceptable.
A unique feature of the X-59 is the placement of two canards in front of the wings. These look like small wings, but they aren’t designed to create lift for the plane. Instead, they help change the movement of the pressure waves so they don’t combine and form the loud sonic boom. Instead, the plane creates a series of sonic “thumps” which are much quieter than booms. The effects of these thumps will be tested in locations around the United States to see if this lower noise level is more acceptable.
NASA Speaker
David Richwine, Deputy Project Manager for Technology
Dave Richwine serves as the Deputy Project Manager for Technology on the Low Boom Flight Demonstrator project, coordinating technical requirements and capabilities across the Low-Boom Flight Demonstration mission. He has worked in aeronautics research for over 35 years at NASA Langley Research Center in Virginia and Dryden Flight Research Center (now Armstrong Flight Research Center) in California. During his 17 years at NASA Dryden, Richwine worked on several research projects including the F-18 High Alpha Research Program and F-15B Flight Research Testbed; and served as Dryden’s Project Manager for DARPA’s Quiet Supersonic Program and F-5E flight test. After moving to NASA Langley in 2003, he served in several positions supporting NASA’s supersonics research. In 2012, Richwine became the planning lead and later managed the low-boom flight demonstrator concept studies which ultimately evolved into the X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology aircraft preliminary design. David Richwine received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia in 1983 and master’s degree in Engineering Administration from The George Washington University in 1986.
