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Old Posted May 9, 2023, 1:53 PM
jmecklenborg jmecklenborg is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by galleyfox View Post
Yep, Space shuttle.
Per this NASA document, the Space Shuttle and Concorde produced more dramatic sonic booms than fighter jets due to their size:https://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/...S-016-DFRC.pdf

But I'm also seeing that the Space Shuttle's landing paths varied wildly from one mission to the next. I was under the impression that they landed going something close to due east (especially since The Columbia broke up over Texas) and had to align with the runway many thousands of miles away. It turns out that the Texas approach only happened during "low inclination" missions, and that the shuttles as often approached Florida from sharp angles and performed pretty dramatic turns close to the landing sites:
https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/167415main_LandingatKSC-08.pdf

This document also describes the booms, but is dismissive of their impact. Perhaps the boom isn't particularly noticeable while the shuttle is still gliding at high altitude. I can attest that the fighter jet booms I heard as a kid were absolutely epic.

Elsewhere, it has been proven that sonic booms disturb the homing ability of homing pigeons. The Concorde was responsible for the loss of many pigeons during cross-channel homing pigeon races. It even affected homing pigeon experiments in the United States hundreds of miles from New York City, as it was discovered that the pigeons can hear the ultra-low sound waves that travel much farther than what the human ear can detect.

Last edited by jmecklenborg; May 9, 2023 at 2:09 PM.
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