Episode Details

The American space agency NASA is preparing to test a new supersonic airplane that could help establish a new generation of superfast aircraft. 

美国宇航局美国宇航局正准备测试一种新型超音速飞机，这可能有助于建立新一代超高速飞机。 

The new aircraft is called X-59, and it was built in partnership with American defense contractor Lockheed Martin. The experimental plane is part of a NASA project, or mission, called Quesst. 

这架新飞机被称为 X-59，是与美国国防承包商洛克希德·马丁公司合作建造的。这架实验飞机是 NASA 名为 Quest 的项目或任务的一部分。 

The mission aims to collect data in the United States on the level of noise produced by supersonic travel. Supersonic describes a vehicle that travels faster than the speed of sound: about 1,235 kilometers an hour. 

该任务的目的是在美国收集有关超音速旅行产生的噪音水平的数据。Supersonic 描述了一种行驶速度超过音速的车辆：每小时约 1,235 公里。 

The data Quesst gathers could lead U.S. officials to change rules that currently ban supersonic flights over land. NASA says the X-59 was developed to reduce the loudness of the sonic boom it produces when breaking the sound barrier to very low levels heard on the ground. 

Quest 收集的数据可能会导致美国官员改变目前禁止超音速陆地飞行的规则。NASA 表示，X-59 的开发目的是为了将突破音障时产生的音爆音量降低到地面上能听到的非常低的水平。 

A few U.S. companies are exploring ways to restart supersonic passenger travel for the first time since 2003. That is the year the Concorde aircraft stopped flying. The Concorde was the world’s first supersonic passenger jet. It was operated jointly by Britain and France. 

一些美国公司正在探索自 2003 年以来首次重启超音速客运旅行的方法。那一年协和式飞机停止飞行。协和式飞机是世界上第一架超音速客机。它是由英国和法国联合经营的。

The Concorde flew at speeds more than twice the speed of sound, British Airways explained. This meant it could travel from London to New York in about three-and-a-half hours. The same flight took about eight hours with normal passenger jets. 

英国航空公司解释说，协和式飞机的飞行速度是音