SR-71 Sonic Boom Recordings
These recordings were made as part of the SR-71 Sonic Boom Propagation Experiment, using Bruel & Kierr Type 4134 1/2" Microphones, Type 2804 Power Supplies, and Sony MZ-R2 Minidisc Recorders. They were then digitized with a Macintosh PowerPC 9600 via the program Canary 1.2, and converted to QuickTime with MoviePlayer. Aircraft flight conditions are shown for the times predicted by the sonic boom simulation program PCBoom.*
Click on any of the pictures to bring up the QuickTime movie. QuickTime is available for Macintosh and PC computers. For best results, listen with headphones that block out outside noises and use a high volume setting.
- Flight 23 2/15/95 17:36:21 Elevated South Station
- bird at t=0.5 and t=8.4, SR-71 at t=2.8, F-16XL at t=3.6, other A/C noise, recorded using auto record level.
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| 954KB QuickTime movie |
| Aircraft |
Mach Number |
Pressure Altitude |
| SR-71 |
1.25 |
30,200 ft |
| F-16XL |
1.16 |
29,100 |
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- Flight 23 2/15/95 18:26:41 Elevated South Station
- bird at t=0.8, 3.5, and 10.0, F-16XL at t=5.3, SR-71 at t=5.6, footstep at t=11.5, recorded using auto record level.
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| 1.046MB QuickTime movie |
| Aircraft |
Mach Number |
Pressure Altitude |
| SR-71 |
1.25 |
30,300 ft |
| F-16XL |
1.11 |
27,100 ft |
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- Flight 24 3/16/95 18:24:20 Elevated Base Station
- SR-71 at t=1.0, SR-71 U-wave at t=2.0, F-16XL NU-wave at t=6.0, recorded using manual record level.
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| 611KB QuickTime movie |
| Aircraft |
Mach Number |
Pressure Altitude |
| SR-71 |
1.27 |
30,500 ft |
| F-16XL |
1.30 |
27,800 ft |
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- Flight 30 4/20/95 14:39:35 Elevated Base Station
- wind, rumble at t=2.0, recorded using manual record level, no sharp boom heard. The aircraft were too high in altitude at these Mach numbers for the sonic booms to reach the ground, only the acoustical portion did, much like distant thunder.
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| 358KB QuickTime movie |
| Aircraft |
Mach Number |
Pressure Altitude |
| SR-71 |
1.23 |
43,900 ft |
| F-16XL |
1.29 |
38,800 ft |
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- Flight 30 4/20/95 15:27:21 Elevated Base Station
- wind, SR-71 rumble at t=3.2, F-16XL at t=6.8, other at t=11.0, recorded using manual record level. PCBoom had an error calculating the F-16XL boom generation time.
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| 1.129MB QuickTime movie |
| Aircraft |
Mach Number |
Pressure Altitude |
| SR-71 |
1.25 |
44,000 ft |
| F-16XL |
? |
? |
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- Flight 31 5/25/95 15:42:23 Elevated South Station
- SR-71 at t=1.0, bird at t=1.3, recorded using manual record level.
|
 |
| 307KB QuickTime movie |
| Aircraft |
Mach Number |
Pressure Altitude |
| SR-71 |
1.58 |
43,000 ft |
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- Flight 31 5/25/95 16:02:51 Elevated South Station
- SR-71 at t=1.7, bird at t=0.4 and 8.1, creaking shoe at t=2.3, recorded using manual record level.
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| 864KB QuickTime movie |
| Aircraft |
Mach Number |
Pressure Altitude |
| SR-71 |
1.21 |
30,200 ft |
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The bird in these recordings has been identified as probably an American Pipit (Anthus rubescens). The bird's song does not generally change after a sonic boom is heard.
*NOTICE: Use of trade names of manufacturers in this document does not constitute an official endorsement of such products or manufacturers, either express or implied, by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
These recordings are not available for copyright protection in the U.S. (17 U.S.C. 105). NASA is the owner of any foreign copyright.
Other Sonic Boom links:
- Preliminary Airborne Measurements for the SR-71 Sonic Boom Propagation Experiment, Haering, Edward A., Jr., Ehernberger, L. J., and Whitmore, Stephen A., NASA TM-104307, 1995.
- Ground-Based Sensors for the SR-71 Sonic Boom Propagation Experiment, Norris, Stephen R., Haering, Edward A., Jr., Murray, James E., NASA TM-104310, 1995.
- Ground-Recorded Sonic Boom Signatures of F-18 Aircraft in Formation Flight, Bahm, Catherine M., and Haering, Edward A., Jr., NASA TM-104312, 1995.
- Dryden Fact Sheet: Sonic Booms
- Dryden Fact Sheet: Schlieren Photography - Ground to Air
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