Video of the Week: Could NASA build a supersonic jet with no boom?

According to a NASA press release, the return of supersonic passenger travel is one step closer to reality with NASA’s award of a contract for the preliminary design of a low boom flight demonstrator aircraft.

This is the first in a series of X-planes in NASA’s New Aviation Horizons initiative, introduced in the agency’s Fiscal Year 2017 budget.

“NASA is working hard to make flight greener, safer and quieter – all while developing aircraft that travel faster, and building an aviation system that operates more efficiently,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. “To that end, it’s worth noting that it's been almost 70 years since Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in the Bell X-1 as part of our predecessor agency's high speed research. Now we’re continuing that supersonic X-plane legacy with this preliminary design award for a quieter supersonic jet with an aim toward passenger flight.”

The aircraft could cut cross-country travel times to two hours or less and making a trans-Atlantic trip a matter of just a few hours.

For more, check out this story from Wired.