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How the XB-1 #aircraft went supersonic without a #sonicboom
In this case, the #BoomSupersonic #XB1 took advantage of a #physics phenomenon called the Mach cutoff. Because sound moves more slowly at higher altitudes, an aircraft breaching the sound barrier at those heights will produce a boom that cannot reach the ground – if the boom moves downward, the increasing speed of sound will deflect it, pushing its shock waves upward instead. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2467745-how-the-xb-1-aircraft-went-supersonic-without-a-sonic-boom/