
Audience
Educators
Grade Levels
Grades K-4, Grades 5-8, Grades 9-12, Informal Education
Subject
Physical Science, Waves, Flight and Aeronautics, Forces and Motion, Sound
Type
Educator Guides, Lesson Plans / Activities, Other Multimedia
Quesst STEM Learning Module
NASA’s X-59 experimental aircraft is the culmination of decades of research on supersonic flight, sonic booms, and noise reduction. In 2025, the X-59 will begin community flight tests which will demonstrate that annoying sonic booms can be transformed into quieter “sonic thumps.” These flights and the data they generate will pave the way for a next generation of commercial supersonic flight.
This Educator’s Guide brings together a curated list of NASA activities and resources that can be used to explore the science and engineering behind the X-59. Our intention is to provide a broad range of activities that can be embedded in units about sound, energy, forces, or engineering. Students can engage with the Quesst mission in a variety of ways—including hands-on STEM activities, engineering design challenges, performance assessments, and more.
ENGINEERING AND DESIGN CHALLENGES
Engineering Quiet: Chevrons
Students design a device called a “chevron” that changes sound waves and can reduce noise levels. (Grades 6-8)
Noise: Chevrons Educator Guide
Noise: Chevrons Student Guide (Grades 6-8)
Explore Flight: Wind Tunnels
Students design an airplane and test its aerodynamics in a simple wind tunnel. (Grades 6-8)
STEM LEARNING ACTIVITIES
NASA’s Junior Pilot Program
The Jr. Pilot Program is a series of engaging activities focused on a specific science concept and NASA program or mission. The first in the series, the X-59, allows elementary students the opportunity to explore our X-59 aircraft and the science of sound. Led by NASA’s Orville D. Squirrel, participants earn a certificate at the end of the publication.
NASA’s Junior Pilot Program: X-59
NASA’s Junior Pilot Program: X-59 (Black and White)
Make Your Own X-59
Students will learn how to make a paper airplane version of the X-59.
Seeing Sound
Sound reaches our ears because sound makes air particles move and bump into each other on a very small scale. This demo uses the reflected laser beam to magnify this motion and make it visible. (Grades K-8)
Noise: Seeing Sound (Grades K-8)
Seeing Sound Demo Video
Good Vibrations
Students learn about transfer of energy, forces, and interactions of energy and matter through hands-on activities. (Grades K-12)
Speed of Sound
Students conduct experiments to determine the speed of sound in air by using water, tuning forks and other materials.
Noise: Speed of Sound (Grades 9-12)
Forces of Flight
Students will learn about motion, forces and transfer of energy as they explore the basics behind the four forces of flight through hands-on stations.
More Added Soon!
VIDEOS
- The X-59/X-Planes
NASA EDGE: Low-Boom Flight Demonstration
Low Boom Flight Demonstrator
History of X-Planes - Supersonic Flight
NASA EDGE: The Future of Commercial Supersonic Travel - Sonic Booms
Sonic Booms and the X-59
NASA EDGE: NASA Lowers the Sonic Boom
Experimental Aircraft Will Lower the Boom - Sound
What is Sound?
Parts of a Sound Wave
How Sound Travels and the X-59 - The Physics of Waves
Longitudinal Waves
Transverse Waves - The Quiet Crew
Playlist of all episodes
LITERACY SKILLS
All About the X-59: A Digital Experience
Students learn about the X-59 by navigating an engaging website with information about the aircraft, the science of sound, and the people and engineering behind the design.
- Comprehension Questions
Students answer these questions as they explore the X-59 Digital Experience.
Digital Experience Comprehension Questions
NASA Supersonic Research Reader
Students read about the history of supersonic research at NASA to provide context for how and why the X-59 was built and answer comprehension questions.
Danielle Koch Leveled Reader
Students will learn about Danielle Koch, an Aerospace Engineer and her research on sound.
X-59 Mini Poster
Mini poster of the X-59 with information on Quiet Supersonic Flight Over Land and the X-59 Vehicle.
PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENTS
Lower the Boom Citizen Science Activity
Students design an inquiry experiment on ambient noise in their own communities and contribute this sound data to a global database of ambient sound levels.
Lower the Boom Citizen Science Guide Educator Guide Next Gen STEM — Aeronaut-X
Aeronaut-X—Zoom without the Boom: Looking to the Future of NASA Aeronautics Innovation
Sonic Boom Flight Recommendations
Students graph air pressure data resulting from sonic booms and make recommendations on where certain aircraft should fly.
Supersonic Flight Performance Assessment