Artist concept of the X-59 three forths view

Artist concept of the X-59 front view.

Artist concept of the X-59 front view.

Artist concept of the X-59 top view

Artist concept of the X-59 in flight overland.

Artist concept of the X-59 configuration views.

Artist concept of the X-59 configuration views.

Artist concept of the X-59 in flight overland and water.

Artist concept of the X-59 view of the back of the vehicle with the landing gears down.

Artist concept of the X-59 bottom view with landing gears down.

Artist concept of the X-59 side view (left side)

Artist concept of the X-59 top view (pointing up)

Artist concept of the X-59 side view (right side)

Artist concept of the X-59 three forths view top

Artist concept of the X-59 side view (right side) with landing gears down.

Artist concept of the X-59 side view (left side) with landing gears down.

Artist illustration of the X-59 in flight over land.

Artist illustration of the X-59 in flight above the clouds with land below, flying left.

Artist illustration of the X-59 taking off from the runway.

Artist illustration of the X-59 in flight above land and clouds.

Artist illustration of the X-59 taxiing on the runway.

An artist illustration of the Low-Boom Flight Demonstration vehicle flying over a community.

Artist illustration of the X-59 landing on the runway.

Artist illustration of the X-59 in flight in blue skies and white clouds.

Artist illustration of the X-59 in flight over land (with cities and rural areas below). Satellite image from USGS/NASA Landsat.

The pilot of NASAÕs X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology, or QueSST, aircraft will navigate the skies in a cockpit unlike any other. There wonÕt be a forward-facing window. ThatÕs right; itÕs actually a 4K monitor that serves as the central window and allows the pilot to safely see traffic in his or her flight path, and provides additional visual aids for airport approaches, landings and takeoffs. The 4K monitor, which is part of the aircraftÕs eXternal Visibility System, or XVS, displays stitched images from two cameras outside the aircraft combined with terrain data from an advanced computing system. The two portals and traditional canopy are real windows however, and help the pilot see the horizon. The displays below the XVS will provide a variety of aircraft systems and trajectory data for the pilot to safely fly. The XVS is one of several innovative solutions to help ensure the X-59Õs design shape reduces a sonic boom to a gentle thump heard by people on the ground. Though not intended to ever carry passengers, the X-59 boom-suppressing technology and community response data could help lift current bans on supersonic flight over land and enable a new generation of quiet supersonic commercial aircraft.

Aerial view cityscape from airplane at summer