When was the sound barrier broken for the first time?
The sound barrier may have been first breached by living beings some 150 million years ago. Some paleobiologists report that, based on computer models of their biomechanical capabilities, certain long-tailed dinosaurs such as "Brontosaurus", "Apatosaurus", and "Diplodocus" may have been able to flick their tails at supersonic speeds, creating a cracking sound. This finding is theoretical and disputed by others in the field.
When may the sound barrier have broken for the first time by dinosaurs?
150 million years ago
Sound barrier
In 1942, Republic Aviation issued a press release stating that Lts. Harold E. Comstock and Roger Dyar had exceeded the speed of sound during test dives in the P-47 "Thunderbolt". It is widely agreed that this was due to inaccurate ASI readings. In similar tests, the North American P-51 Mustang, a higher performance aircraft, demonstrated limits at Mach 0.85, with every flight over M0.84 causing the aircraft to be damaged by vibration.
When was the sound barrier thought to be broken for the first time, but likely due to inaccurate ASI Readings?
1942
Sound barrier
There are a number of unmanned vehicles that flew at supersonic speeds during this period, but they generally do not meet the definition. In 1933, Soviet designers working on ramjet concepts fired phosphorus-powered engines out of artillery guns to get them to operational speeds. It is possible that this produced supersonic performance as high as Mach 2, but this was not due solely to the engine itself. In contrast, the German V-2 ballistic missile routinely broke the sound barrier in flight, for the first time on 3 October 1942. By September 1944, V-2s routinely achieved Mach 4 (1,200 m/s, or 3044 mph) during terminal descent.
When was the sound barrier broken for the first time by an unmanned missile?
3 October 1942
Sound barrier
They utilized the information to initiate work on the Bell X-1. The final version of the Bell X-1 was very similar in design to the original Miles M.52 version. Also featuring the all-moving tail, the XS-1 was later known as the X-1. It was in the X-1 that Chuck Yeager was credited with being the first person to break the sound barrier in level flight on October 14, 1947, flying at an altitude of 45,000 ft (13.7 km). George Welch made a plausible but officially unverified claim to have broken the sound barrier on 1 October 1947, while flying an XP-86 Sabre. He also claimed to have repeated his supersonic flight on October 14, 1947, 30 minutes before Yeager broke the sound barrier in the Bell X-1. Although evidence from witnesses and instruments strongly imply that Welch achieved supersonic speed, the flights were not properly monitored and are not officially recognized. The XP-86 officially achieved supersonic speed on April 26, 1948.
When was the sound barrier broken for the first time, in a manned level flight?
October 14, 1947
Sound barrier
Sound barrier
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound%20barrier
It has been theorized that the sound barrier may have been broken for the first time 150 million years ago by dinosaurs that were probably able to flick their tails at supersonic speeds, but this theory is disputed. It was reported in a press release that Lieutenants Harold E. Comstock and Roger Dyar broke the sound barrier in 1942, but it is widely agreed that their speed was most likely inaccurately read. The sound barrier was broken for the first time by an unmanned missile on 3 October 1942 by the German V-2 ballistic missile. Chuck Yeager was given the credit for breaking the sound barrier for the first time in a manned level flight on October 14, 1947.