Capturing the Schlieren images was a challenging feat, requiring perfect conditions, precise timing, and expert piloting.
If successful, this technique reveals the invisible — the change in air density around the aircraft at supersonic speeds.
Boom’s Chief Test Pilot, Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg, skillfully maneuvered XB-1 to a specific point over the Mojave Desert. This allowed NASA to photograph the shock waves as the jet flew in front of the sun at supersonic speeds.