Listening for the Boom and Rattle of Supersonic Flight

NASA engineers test people's reactions to simulated sonic booms to help develop technologies that might allow supersonic passenger jets to fly over land.

More than 100 subwoofers and mid-range speakers generate the sonic boom noises that test subjects rate from least to most annoying.

Researcher Jonathan Rathsam briefed sonic boom noise test listeners before they heard the more than 200 sounds they were asked to assess as part of NASA's supersonic technology research.

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