NASA Engineer Larry Cliatt: Softening Sonic Booms

A sudden sonic boom can startle persons unfamiliar with the phenomenon. As a result, supersonic flight over the United States is currently prohibited, except in several restricted testing areas. Larry Cliatt, an aerodynamics engineer at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, conducts research related to sonic boom mitigation in an on-going effort to enable supersonic travel over the United States.