Aviation Enthusiasts! NASA Snaps pictures of Supersonic shockwaves of 2 T-38's VERY cool!

NASA's mission to capture air-to-air images of supersonic shock waves was a long and fraught process that lasted more a decade. But now, the space agency has accomplished the task with flying colors.

On Tuesday, NASA released a series of stunning images that show two T-38 supersonic jetliners tearing through the atmosphere, creating sonic shock waves. The images were made possible by a NASA B-200 King Air aircraft, which ferried an updated camera imaging system up to 30,000 feet. At altitude, it followed the jets from a distance of 2,000 feet, snapping their trek through the sound barrier at 1,400 frames per second.

“I am ecstatic about how these images turned out”

The T-38s flew in tight formation, separated only by 10 feet. Documenting their burst through the sound barrier from such a close vantage point will help NASA accrue more data on supersonic shock waves than ever before, which is a pressing matter given the potential resurrection of supersonic passenger travel.