Elliot Kim
The sound barrier is an aerodynamic challenge that occurs when an aircraft or object approaches the speed of sound, causing a significant increase in drag and other adverse effects. Breaking the sound barrier refers to achieving supersonic speed, which was first accomplished by US Air Force Captain Charles Chuck Yeager in 1947, flying the experimental rocket plane Bell X-1. This breakthrough sparked interest in surpassing speed records, with various individuals attempting to break the sound barrier by air and land. Danny Thompson's Challenger 2 car achieved speeds over 400 mph, but it is unclear if it broke the sound barrier.
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What You'll Learn
The sound barrier explained
The sound barrier, or sonic barrier, is a term used to describe the large increase in aerodynamic drag and other undesirable effects experienced by an aircraft or other object when it approaches the speed of sound. The speed of sound in dry air at 20°C (68°F) is around 767 miles per hour or 1,234 kilometres per hour.
The term came into use during World War II when pilots of high-speed fighter aircraft experienced a range of adverse aerodynamic effects that seemed to impede flight at speeds approaching the speed of sound. These effects included aerodynamic drag, which would build up as planes approached the speed of sound, causing control surfaces to lock up and overwhelming inputs from the cockpit. This phenomenon is known as compressibility. Pilots also experienced problems with pulling out of dives due to dangerous interactions of airflow between the wings and tail surfaces, which resulted in several crashes. These effects led to the idea of a "'sound barrier', a speed beyond which aircraft could not pass.
On October 14, 1947, US Air Force Captain Charles "Chuck" Yeager became the first person to break the sound barrier, flying the experimental rocket plane Bell X-1 at a speed of Mach 1.06 (around 700 miles per hour or 1,127 kilometres per hour). Yeager's successful flight disproved the notion that supersonic flight was impossible due to an invisible "sound barrier".
Since Yeager's historic flight, several others have broken the sound barrier, including Jackie Cochran, who became the first woman to achieve this feat in 1953, and Andy Green, who drove the Thrust SSC to a speed of 763 miles per hour in 1997, becoming the first person to break the sound barrier on land.
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Chuck Yeager: the first person to break the sound barrier
On October 14, 1947, Charles "Chuck" Yeager, a former Appalachian farm boy turned fighter ace, became the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound. Yeager flew an experimental rocket plane called the Bell X-1 through the sound barrier, reaching a speed of 700 miles per hour and an altitude of 43,000-45,000 feet over the Rogers Dry Lake of the Mojave Desert in California.
The success of Yeager's mission was not announced to the public for nearly eight months, until June 10, 1948. Yeager skyrocketed to fame and was awarded the Mackay Trophy and the Collier Trophy in 1948, as well as the Harmon International Trophy in 1954, for his groundbreaking flight. The X-1 he flew that day was later put on permanent display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum.
Yeager's achievement marked a significant milestone in aviation history and opened up new possibilities for supersonic flight. However, it was not without its challenges and risks. Just two days before his historic flight, Yeager suffered an injury while horseback riding with his wife, Glennis, breaking two ribs. Worried that his injury would disqualify him from the mission, Yeager had his ribs taped up by a civilian doctor. Despite the pain, he persevered and successfully completed the flight, making him the first person to officially break the sound barrier.
Yeager's feat inspired others to push the boundaries of speed and set new records. Fifty years and one day after Yeager's flight, RAF Wing Commander Andy Green equaled Yeager's accomplishment on four wheels, driving the Thrust SSC and becoming the fastest man on Earth. In the years that followed, other notable figures such as Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner and Jackie Cochran, the first woman to break the sound barrier, added their names to the list of those who conquered the sound barrier.
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The Challenger explosion in 1986
On January 28, 1986, 73 seconds into its flight, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart, killing all seven crew members on board. The spacecraft disintegrated 46,000 feet (14 km) above the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was the first fatal accident involving an American spacecraft while in flight. The crew compartment detached from the rest of the orbiter and plummeted into the ocean. The impact was so violent that it masked any evidence of damage that occurred after the disintegration. The final report concluded that the cause of death of the Challenger astronauts could not be determined conclusively. However, it was believed that the crew lost consciousness due to a loss of cabin pressure within seconds of the initial breakup, as they did not wear pressure suits.
The Challenger disaster was caused by the failure of two rubber O-rings to seal a joint between the two lower segments of the right-hand solid rocket booster. This failure was attributed to the severe cold temperatures on the day of the launch, which were as low as 18 °F (−8 °C). The cold weather caused thick ice to form on the launch pad, and there were concerns about the impact of these temperatures on the shuttle's O-rings. The O-ring erosion in previous, warmer launches had already been a cause for concern. The failure of the O-rings allowed hot exhaust gas to escape from inside the booster during the shuttle's ascent, leading to the explosion.
The Challenger explosion attracted significant media attention and was nationally televised live by CNN. The launch was widely viewed by students in schools across the United States due to the presence of schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe, who was to conduct lessons from orbit as part of the Teacher in Space Project. McAuliffe was the most prominent victim of the disaster, along with six other astronauts: commander Francis (Dick) Scobee, pilot Michael Smith, mission specialists Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, and Hughes Aircraft engineer Gregory Jarvis.
Following the tragedy, Chuck Yeager, the first man to break the sound barrier, served on the commission that investigated the Challenger disaster.
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Supersonic flight and its challenges
Supersonic flight has long been a fascination for humans, with the sound barrier being broken for the first time in 1947 by Charles "Chuck" Yeager in an experimental rocket plane called the Bell X-1. Supersonic flight, however, comes with its own set of challenges.
The first challenge is the dramatic difference in aerodynamics compared to subsonic flight. As an aircraft approaches supersonic speed, it experiences a large increase in aerodynamic drag and other undesirable effects, a phenomenon known as the sound barrier. This occurs because the air molecules around the aircraft move in a smooth, gradual pattern at subsonic speeds, but at supersonic speeds, the aircraft flies faster than the pressure wave, abruptly colliding with the air molecules. This results in violent movements of molecules and the creation of shock waves, which can cause a loss of control and lead to accidents.
Another challenge is the specialized engines required to achieve supersonic speed. The aircraft's maximum speed determines the necessary behavior of air intake, and as the speed increases, the inlet air must be decelerated before entering the engine. This requires more powerful engines, which can add weight and cost to the aircraft. Additionally, the heat generated due to air compression and friction at high speeds can be detrimental to the aircraft's structure and performance. Most subsonic designs use aluminium alloys, which lose their strength quickly at high temperatures, limiting the maximum speed.
Supersonic flight also faces challenges in terms of fuel efficiency and environmental impact. Supersonic aircraft require much greater engine power, leading to higher fuel consumption and emissions. The sonic boom created during supersonic flight can also be disruptive and offensive to people on the ground, and it has been hypothesized that the engine exhaust could potentially damage the ozone layer. These factors have led to the termination of commercial supersonic flights, such as the Concorde, and the banning of overland supersonic flight over the US.
Despite these challenges, advancements in technology and ongoing research continue to explore the possibilities of supersonic flight. Companies like Boom Supersonic are working towards reviving supersonic travel, and design studies for supersonic business jets are being conducted to optimize speed and range while minimizing the sonic boom. While there are no longer any commercial supersonic airliners in service, the dream of supersonic flight persists, and future innovations may overcome the challenges currently associated with supersonic travel.
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Breaking the sound barrier on land
The sound barrier, or sonic barrier, is the large increase in aerodynamic drag and other undesirable effects experienced by an aircraft or other object when it approaches the speed of sound. The term came into use during World War II when pilots of high-speed fighter aircraft experienced a range of adverse aerodynamic effects that seemed to impede flight at speeds close to the speed of sound. This led to the idea of a ""sound barrier", a speed beyond which it was thought a plane could not pass.
On October 14, 1947, 50 years before RAF Wing Commander Andy Green would break the sound barrier on land, US Air Force Captain Charles Elwood "Chuck" Yeager became the first person to break the sound barrier in the air. Yeager flew an experimental rocket plane called the Bell X-1, which was air-launched from a Boeing B-29 bomber at an altitude of 20,000 feet. The aircraft reached a speed of 1,127 kilometers (700 miles) per hour (Mach 1.06), becoming the first airplane to fly faster than the speed of sound.
On October 15, 1997, 50 years and one day after Yeager's feat, Green broke the sound barrier on land, driving the Thrust SSC at a speed of 1,228 kilometers (763 miles) per hour. The Thrust SSC looked more like a wingless jet fighter, with a narrow fuselage sandwiched between two massive jet engines. It was designed to break the sound barrier on land, with a shape that emerged from computational fluid dynamics.
Danny Thompson's Challenger 2 has also achieved impressive speeds, using two naturally aspirated Top Fuel Hemis to run at speeds exceeding 400 miles per hour. However, it did not come close to breaking the sound barrier. While it may be theoretically possible for a wheel-driven car to break the sound barrier under the right conditions, such as a perfectly smooth and grippy surface that is miles long, these conditions do not exist in practice.
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Frequently asked questions
On October 14, 1947, Charles "Chuck" Yeager became the first person to break the sound barrier, flying an experimental rocket plane called the Bell X-1 above California's Antelope Valley.
The sound barrier is the large increase in aerodynamic drag and other undesirable effects experienced by an aircraft or other object when it approaches the speed of sound. The term came into use during World War II when pilots of high-speed fighter aircraft experienced the effects of compressibility, a number of adverse aerodynamic effects that deterred further acceleration.
When an object travels faster than the speed of sound, it creates a "sonic boom". Initially, you hear nothing because the plane is moving faster than sound itself, but when the sound pressure cone arrives at your ear, you hear a boom.
