For the final assignment, I will ask you to investigate a contemporary scientific topic of your choice.
You need to include at three sources which represent different perspectives on your topic. These
might be around scientific veracity, epistemology, socio-cultural reception of science etc. etc. The
clearly distinct perspectives will differ significantly based on your topic.
Write a synthesis essay which articulates the different perspectives and draws a conclusion as to the
heart of the topic. This will be approximately 1000 words long and due at the end of the semester.
Introductory statement, three perspectives
2. The Aerodynamics of Supersonic and Hypersonic Commercial Flight
Scientific Perspective: The physics of shockwaves, drag reduction, and heat resistance in highspeed travel.
Epistemological Perspective: How reliable are current computational models in predicting realworld performance?
Socio-Cultural Perspective: Can supersonic travel make a comeback despite noise pollution and
environmental concerns?
4. The Impact of Aerodynamic Innovations on Fuel Efficiency
Scientific Perspective: Winglets, laminar flow control, blended-wing-body designs, and other
fuel-saving innovations.
Epistemological Perspective: How do researchers test and compare new aerodynamic
technologies?
Socio-Cultural Perspective: How do airlines balance cost-saving measures with environmental
responsibility?
Francis Nadeau
603-BMA-LA
Should Hypersonic Flight Make A Comeback?
Environmental concerns
o Some say there will be a decreased fuel consumption, which was a regular complaint
against the Concorde, as newer technologies will be lighter (titanium and carbon fibre
rather than aluminum) and will be slower (1-1.5 Mach rather than 2 Mach). Also
planning on using sustainable aviation fuel to reduce emissions (but insufficient
supply and cost issues).
o Others worry about the impact of fuel hyper consumption in the outer atmosphere
(10x more warming effect); supersonic aircrafts fly in this region, impact of fuel
consumption/CO2 emissions in this region remains unknown
o ONGOING research into high-altitude emissions on global climate
o Viable in a time when the aviation industry is under pressure to reduce its carbon
footprint?
Popularity/demands concern
o Designers of supersonic aircrafts are receiving lots of interest and already have orders
from airlines
o In a world where remote work and video meetings attenuate the importance of sameday, fast travel, is supersonic travel still a need?
o Expensive travel, would likely cater to businesspeople as well as the rich and famous,
increase social disparities?
o Aerospace focus shifts to cutting costs and maximize profits, little incentives to
develop quieter, cleaner and safer aircrafts (push boundaries)
Noise concerns
o Experiments by designers and the NASA aim to test designs where supersonic boom
would be reduced to a soft thump and therefore mitigate noise complaints
o Others worry about the impact of noise/shock waves (broke windows, caused hearing
damages when overland) – linked to FAA banning commercial supersonic flight over
land in the United States.
o FAA would allow supersonic flight over land if engineers can prove they mitigated
effects of supersonic boom
o Developments in field of aeroacoustics, allows companies to mitigate sonic booms
and potentially pass FAA’s requirements.
o Noise restrictions would limit flight routes to areas over water, further complicating
viability
Introductory statement:
More than 20 years after the iconic Concorde retired, interest in supersonic commercial flight is resurging
and is on track to come back by 2035. However, the scientific community remains divided: should
supersonic commercial flight make a comeback? Issues such as excessive fuel consumption, climate
impact, questionable necessity and health-threatening noise pollution are factors preventing its return.
However, there are high uncertainties regarding high-altitude emissions and the feasibility of sustainable
supersonic flight. Given the current state of technology and our limited understanding of supersonic flight
physics, supersonic flight should not return. However, continued research and innovation would increase
our probability of seeing a newer, modern Concorde over our heads in the foreseeable future.
Conclusionary statement:
The future of supersonic flight depends on balancing speed, sustainability and affordability. With so many
big players working to find solutions, it’s likely that we’ll see a comeback in some shape, even if that
comeback ends up being extremely limited to those who can afford to pay top prices for a seat.
Supersonic jets are making a comeback – but despite the hype, don’t expect to book yet
Reviving the Supersonic Commercial Transport: Ethical Considerations - Viterbi Conversations in Ethics
Impacts of a near-future supersonic aircraft fleet on atmospheric composition and climate Environmental Science: Atmospheres (RSC Publishing) DOI:10.1039/D1EA00081K
Noise and climate impacts of an unconstrained
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