Uploaded January 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The sound barrier was officially shattered in 1947, and by the 1950s military jets started routinely breaking the sound barrier, and not just small fighters, but big bombers too. So the next logical question was, when would the public go supersonic too? The early history of supersonic flight is complicated, and it involves gorgeous engineering, soviet espionage, and terrorizing citizens of Oklahoma.
» Subscribe to Seeker+! bit.ly/SeekerPlusSubscribe (then hit the little 🔔 icon and select “all.“)
» Watch more! bit.ly/SeekerPlusPlaylist
» Visit our shop at shop.seeker.com
The first sonic boom from an aircraft rang out over the Mojave Desert in southern California in October of 1947. Piloting the rocket-powered Bell XS-1, Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier and joined an exclusive club of which he was the first member. Better known by its later designation of “X-1," the XS-1 was built for speed, with a body shaped like a .50 caliber bullet, wings that were thin but very strong, and control surfaces at the tail that could move as one big unit so they’d work despite the shock waves. That last innovation was a major breakthrough for high speed flight that was kept top secret, and it would give early American fighter jets an edge over their Soviet-made opponents in the Korean war.
Racing to establish themselves at the forefront of what was thought to be the future of air travel, three big players emerged: the United States, the Soviets, and a cooperative effort between the French and the British, with those being listed in order from least successful to most successful.
In the last few years, NASA and a few startups have decided to take another look at bringing SSTs back.
#Supersonic #Concorde #Airplanes #Seeker #SeekerPlus
--
Read More:
Breaking the Sound Barrier | The Greatest Moments in Flight
space.com/16709-breaking-the-sound-barrier.html
“In 1935, a simplified explanation of the challenges of supersonic flight led to the creation of the term "sound barrier," which seemed to imply a physical wall that could not be overcome. Bullets and cannon balls had exceeded the speed of sound for hundreds of years, but the question loomed as to whether or not a plane — or a man — could withstand the pressures that accompanied it. The U.S. Air Force set out to answer this looming question.”
The American Concordes that never flew
bbc.com/future/article/20160321-the-american-concordes-that-never-flew
“It was one of the most ambitious aircraft design projects in history, so what happened to the US plans to master supersonic passenger flight?”
Soviets test supersonic airliner
history.com/this-day-in-history/soviets-test-supersonic-airliner
“In 1965, the French arrested Sergei Pavlov, head of the Paris office of the Soviet airliner Aeroflot, for illegally obtaining classified information about France’s supersonic project. Another high-level Soviet spy remained unknown, however, and continued to feed the Soviets information about the Concorde until the spy was identified and arrested in 1967.”
--
Seeker+ is your home for deep dives, fun facts, rabbit holes, and more. Join host Julian Huguet as he unapologetically nerds out on the oddball history, astounding science and intriguing future around topics that will make you the smartest person at your next trivia night.
--
Seeker empowers the curious to understand the science shaping our world. We tell award-winning stories about the natural forces and groundbreaking innovations that impact our lives, our planet, and our universe.
Follow us on TikTok: tiktok.com/@seeker
Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/seeker
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/seeker
The sound barrier was officially shattered in 1947, and by the 1950s military jets started routinely breaking the sound barrier, and not just small fighters, but big bombers too. So the next logical question was, when would the public go supersonic too? The early history of supersonic flight is complicated, and it involves gorgeous engineering, soviet espionage, and terrorizing citizens of Oklahoma.
» Subscribe to Seeker+! bit.ly/SeekerPlusSubscribe (then hit the little 🔔 icon and select “all.“)
» Watch more! bit.ly/SeekerPlusPlaylist
» Visit our shop at shop.seeker.com
The first sonic boom from an aircraft rang out over the Mojave Desert in southern California in October of 1947. Piloting the rocket-powered Bell XS-1, Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier and joined an exclusive club of which he was the first member. Better known by its later designation of “X-1," the XS-1 was built for speed, with a body shaped like a .50 caliber bullet, wings that were thin but very strong, and control surfaces at the tail that could move as one big unit so they’d work despite the shock waves. That last innovation was a major breakthrough for high speed flight that was kept top secret, and it would give early American fighter jets an edge over their Soviet-made opponents in the Korean war.
Racing to establish themselves at the forefront of what was thought to be the future of air travel, three big players emerged: the United States, the Soviets, and a cooperative effort between the French and the British, with those being listed in order from least successful to most successful.
In the last few years, NASA and a few startups have decided to take another look at bringing SSTs back.
#Supersonic #Concorde #Airplanes #Seeker #SeekerPlus
--
Read More:
Breaking the Sound Barrier | The Greatest Moments in Flight
space.com/16709-breaking-the-sound-barrier.html
“In 1935, a simplified explanation of the challenges of supersonic flight led to the creation of the term "sound barrier," which seemed to imply a physical wall that could not be overcome. Bullets and cannon balls had exceeded the speed of sound for hundreds of years, but the question loomed as to whether or not a plane — or a man — could withstand the pressures that accompanied it. The U.S. Air Force set out to answer this looming question.”
The American Concordes that never flew
bbc.com/future/article/20160321-the-american-concordes-that-never-flew
“It was one of the most ambitious aircraft design projects in history, so what happened to the US plans to master supersonic passenger flight?”
Soviets test supersonic airliner
history.com/this-day-in-history/soviets-test-supersonic-airliner
“In 1965, the French arrested Sergei Pavlov, head of the Paris office of the Soviet airliner Aeroflot, for illegally obtaining classified information about France’s supersonic project. Another high-level Soviet spy remained unknown, however, and continued to feed the Soviets information about the Concorde until the spy was identified and arrested in 1967.”
--
Seeker+ is your home for deep dives, fun facts, rabbit holes, and more. Join host Julian Huguet as he unapologetically nerds out on the oddball history, astounding science and intriguing future around topics that will make you the smartest person at your next trivia night.
--
Seeker empowers the curious to understand the science shaping our world. We tell award-winning stories about the natural forces and groundbreaking innovations that impact our lives, our planet, and our universe.
Follow us on TikTok: tiktok.com/@seeker
Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/seeker
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/seeker
