A supersonic jet plane designed to make very little noise took flight for the first time this week, cruising over the southern California desert just after sunrise in what could be the first step toward much faster commercial travel, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

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NASA and the U.S. weapons and aerospace manufacturer Lockheed Martin successfully tested a jet Tuesday that is capable of traveling faster than the speed of sound.

Aircraft have been capable of flying at supersonic speeds since the 1940s. The problem is that ultra-fast planes are banned for commercial travel over land because they make an explosive — and frightening — "sonic boom" that disturbs the public.

The supersonic aircraft

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