Commercial Supersonic Technology: The Way Ahead

High-speed flight is a major technological challenge for both commercial and business aviation. As a first step in revitalizing efforts by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to achieve the technology objective of high-speed air travel, NASA requested the National Research Council (NRC) to conduct a study that would identify approaches for achieving breakthroughs in research and technology for commercial supersonic aircraft. Commercial Supersonic Technology documents the results of that effort. This report describes technical areas where ongoing work should be continued and new focused research initiated to enable operational deployment of an environmentally acceptable, economically viable commercial aircraft capable of sustained supersonic flight, including flight over land, at speeds up to approximately Mach 2 in the next 25 years or less. Table of ContentsFront MatterExecutive Summary1. Introduction2. Technology Challenges3. New Opportunities for Research on Critical Supersonic Technologies4. Areas Needing Continued Technical Development5. Findings, Conclusions, and RecommendationsAppendix A. Biographies of Committee MembersAppendix B. Participants in Committee MeetingsAppendix C. Acronyms and Abbreviations