Search Results: All Fields similar to 'Dryden or Langley' and Where equal to 'Edwards Air Force Base'

Dryden's T-38 Talon Trainer Jet in Flight

Dryden's T-38 Talon Trainer …

NASA Dryden's T-38 Talon tra …

10/2/08

Description	NASA Dryden's T-38 Talon trainer jet in flight over the main base complex at Edwards Air Force Base. Formerly at NASA's Langley Research Center, this Northrop T-38 Talon is now used for mission support and pilot proficiency at the Dryden Flight Research Center. May 5, 2006 NASA / photo Jim Ross ED06-0072-2
Date	10/2/08

NASA Dryden's T-38 Talon Trainer Aircraft in Flight

NASA Dryden's T-38 Talon Tra …

NASA Dryden's T-38 Talon tra …

10/2/08

Description	NASA Dryden's T-38 Talon trainer aircraft in flight near Edwards Air Force Base. Formerly at NASA's Langley Research Center, this Northrop T-38 Talon is now used for mission support and pilot proficiency at the Dryden Flight Research Center. May 5, 2006 NASA / Photo Jim Ross ED06-0072-4
Date	10/2/08

NASA Dryden's T-38 Talon trainer jet in flight over the main base complex at Edwards Air Force Base. Formerly at NASA's Langley Research Center, this Northrop T-38 Talon is now used for mission support and pilot proficiency at the Dryden Flight Research Center.

Photo Description	NASA Dryden's T-38 Talon trainer jet in flight over the main base complex at Edwards Air Force Base. Formerly at NASA's Langley Research Center, this Northrop T-38 Talon is now used for mission support and pilot proficiency at the Dryden Flight Research Center.
Project Description	Formerly assigned to NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., the T-38 aircraft had supported various aeronautics research projects there for a number of years. The aircraft is used by NASA Dryden's research pilots for proficiency and mission support flights. Dryden operated two T-38s for a number of years, replacing them with newer F-18s. However, the cost of maintaining and operating the F-18s make the fuel-friendly, lower maintenance T-38 an attractive addition to Dryden's fleet. NASA has also operated a small fleet of T-38s for pilot proficiency and training for astronauts at the Johnson Space Center in Texas since the mid-1960s.
Photo Date	May 5, 2006

NASA Dryden's T-38 Talon trainer aircraft in flight near Edwards Air Force Base. Formerly at NASA's Langley Research Center, this Northrop T-38 Talon is now used for mission support and pilot proficiency at the Dryden Flight Research Center.

Photo Description	NASA Dryden's T-38 Talon trainer aircraft in flight near Edwards Air Force Base. Formerly at NASA's Langley Research Center, this Northrop T-38 Talon is now used for mission support and pilot proficiency at the Dryden Flight Research Center.
Project Description	Formerly assigned to NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., the T-38 aircraft had supported various aeronautics research projects there for a number of years. The aircraft is used by NASA Dryden's research pilots for proficiency and mission support flights. Dryden operated two T-38s for a number of years, replacing them with newer F-18s. However, the cost of maintaining and operating the F-18s make the fuel-friendly, lower maintenance T-38 an attractive addition to Dryden's fleet. NASA has also operated a small fleet of T-38s for pilot proficiency and training for astronauts at the Johnson Space Center in Texas since the mid-1960s.
Photo Date	May 5, 2006

NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center marked its 60th anniversary as the aerospace agency's lead center for atmospheric flight research and operations in 2006. In connection with that milestone, hundreds of the center's staff and retirees gathered in nearby Lancaster, Calif., in November 2006 to reflect on the center's challenges and celebrate its accomplishments over its six decades of advancing the state-of-the-art in aerospace technology. The center had its beginning in 1946 when a few engineers from the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics' Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory were detailed to Muroc Army Air Base (now Edwards Air Force Base) in Southern California's high desert to support the joint Army Air Force / NACA / Bell Aircraft XS-1 research airplane program. Since that inauspicious beginning, the center has been at the forefront of many of the advances in aerospace technology by validating advanced concepts through actual in-flight research and testing. Dryden is uniquely situated to take advantage of the excellent year-round flying weather, remote area, and visibility to test some of the nation?s most exciting aerospace vehicles. Today, NASA Dryden is NASA's premier flight research and test organization, continuing to push the envelope in the validation of high-risk aerospace technology and space exploration concepts, and in conducting airborne environmental and space science missions in the 21st century.

Photo Description	NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center marked its 60th anniversary as the aerospace agency's lead center for atmospheric flight research and operations in 2006. In connection with that milestone, hundreds of the center's staff and retirees gathered in nearby Lancaster, Calif., in November 2006 to reflect on the center's challenges and celebrate its accomplishments over its six decades of advancing the state-of-the-art in aerospace technology. The center had its beginning in 1946 when a few engineers from the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics' Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory were detailed to Muroc Army Air Base (now Edwards Air Force Base) in Southern California's high desert to support the joint Army Air Force / NACA / Bell Aircraft XS-1 research airplane program. Since that inauspicious beginning, the center has been at the forefront of many of the advances in aerospace technology by validating advanced concepts through actual in-flight research and testing. Dryden is uniquely situated to take advantage of the excellent year-round flying weather, remote area, and visibility to test some of the nation?s most exciting aerospace vehicles. Today, NASA Dryden is NASA's premier flight research and test organization, continuing to push the envelope in the validation of high-risk aerospace technology and space exploration concepts, and in conducting airborne environmental and space science missions in the 21st century.
Project Description	unknown
Photo Date	November 4, 2006

Attached to the same B-52B mothership that once launched X-15 research aircraft in the 1960s, NASA's third X-43A performed a captive carry evaluation flight from Edwards Air Force Base, California on September 27, 2004. The X-43 remained mated to the B-52 throughout this mission, intended to check its readiness for launch scheduled later in the fall.

Photo Description	Attached to the same B-52B mothership that once launched X-15 research aircraft in the 1960s, NASA's third X-43A performed a captive carry evaluation flight from Edwards Air Force Base, California on September 27, 2004. The X-43 remained mated to the B-52 throughout this mission, intended to check its readiness for launch scheduled later in the fall.
Project Description	The X-43A is powered by a revolutionary supersonic-combustion ramjet - or "scramjet" - engine. If successful, the Mach 10 flight will break all speed records for an aircraft powered by an air-breathing engine. The X-43 is part of the Hyper-X hypersonic research program led by NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, and operated jointly by NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., and Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. The program aims to demonstrate air-breathing engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity - or reduce vehicle size for the same payload - for future hypersonic aircraft and reusable space launch vehicles.
Photo Date	September 27, 2004

Photo Description	Attached to the same B-52B mothership that once launched X-15 research aircraft in the 1960s, NASA's third X-43A performed a captive carry evaluation flight from Edwards Air Force Base, California on September 27, 2004. The X-43 remained mated to the B-52 throughout this mission, intended to check its readiness for launch scheduled later in the fall.
Project Description	The X-43A is powered by a revolutionary supersonic-combustion ramjet - or "scramjet" - engine. If successful, the Mach 10 flight will break all speed records for an aircraft powered by an air-breathing engine. The X-43 is part of the Hyper-X hypersonic research program led by NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, and operated jointly by NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., and Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. The program aims to demonstrate air-breathing engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity - or reduce vehicle size for the same payload - for future hypersonic aircraft and reusable space launch vehicles.
Photo Date	September 27, 2004

The X-43A Hypersonic Experimental (Hyper-X) Vehicle hangs suspended in the cavernous Benefield Aenechoic Facility at Edwards Air Force Base during radio frequency tests in January 2000.

X-43A Undergoing Controlled …

Photo Description	The X-43A Hypersonic Experimental (Hyper-X) Vehicle hangs suspended in the cavernous Benefield Aenechoic Facility at Edwards Air Force Base during radio frequency tests in January 2000.
Project Description	Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, "air-breathing" engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry only fuel. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen, future hypersonic vehicles will be able to carry heavier payloads. Another unique aspect of the X-43A vehicle is the airframe integration. The body of the vehicle itself forms critical elements of the engine. The forebody acts as part of the intake for airflow and the aft section serves as the nozzle. The X-43A vehicles were manufactured by Micro Craft, Inc., Tullahoma, Tennessee. Orbital Sciences Corporation, Chandler, Arizona, built the Pegasus rocket booster used to launch the X-43 vehicles. For the Dryden research flights, the Pegasus rocket booster and attached X-43 will be air launched by Dryden's B-52 "Mothership." After release from the B-52, the booster will accelerate the X-43A vehicle to the established test conditions (Mach 7 to 10) at an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet where the X-43 will separate from the booster and fly under its own power and preprogrammed control.
Photo Date	January 2000

X-43A Undergoing Controlled …

Photo Description	The X-43A Hypersonic Experimental (Hyper-X) Vehicle hangs suspended in the cavernous Benefield Aenechoic Facility at Edwards Air Force Base during radio frequency tests in January 2000.
Project Description	Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, "air-breathing" engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry only fuel. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen, future hypersonic vehicles will be able to carry heavier payloads. Another unique aspect of the X-43A vehicle is the airframe integration. The body of the vehicle itself forms critical elements of the engine. The forebody acts as part of the intake for airflow and the aft section serves as the nozzle. The X-43A vehicles were manufactured by Micro Craft, Inc., Tullahoma, Tennessee. Orbital Sciences Corporation, Chandler, Arizona, built the Pegasus rocket booster used to launch the X-43 vehicles. For the Dryden research flights, the Pegasus rocket booster and attached X-43 will be air launched by Dryden's B-52 "Mothership." After release from the B-52, the booster will accelerate the X-43A vehicle to the established test conditions (Mach 7 to 10) at an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet where the X-43 will separate from the booster and fly under its own power and preprogrammed control.
Photo Date	January 2000

X-43A Undergoing Controlled …

Photo Description	The X-43A Hypersonic Experimental (Hyper-X) Vehicle hangs suspended in the cavernous Benefield Aenechoic Facility at Edwards Air Force Base during radio frequency tests in January 2000.
Project Description	Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, "air-breathing" engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry only fuel. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen, future hypersonic vehicles will be able to carry heavier payloads. Another unique aspect of the X-43A vehicle is the airframe integration. The body of the vehicle itself forms critical elements of the engine. The forebody acts as part of the intake for airflow and the aft section serves as the nozzle. The X-43A vehicles were manufactured by Micro Craft, Inc., Tullahoma, Tennessee. Orbital Sciences Corporation, Chandler, Arizona, built the Pegasus rocket booster used to launch the X-43 vehicles. For the Dryden research flights, the Pegasus rocket booster and attached X-43 will be air launched by Dryden's B-52 "Mothership." After release from the B-52, the booster will accelerate the X-43A vehicle to the established test conditions (Mach 7 to 10) at an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet where the X-43 will separate from the booster and fly under its own power and preprogrammed control.
Photo Date	January 2000

X-43A Undergoing Controlled …

Photo Description	The X-43A Hypersonic Experimental (Hyper-X) Vehicle hangs suspended in the cavernous Benefield Aenechoic Facility at Edwards Air Force Base during radio frequency tests in January 2000.
Project Description	Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, "air-breathing" engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry only fuel. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen, future hypersonic vehicles will be able to carry heavier payloads. Another unique aspect of the X-43A vehicle is the airframe integration. The body of the vehicle itself forms critical elements of the engine. The forebody acts as part of the intake for airflow and the aft section serves as the nozzle. The X-43A vehicles were manufactured by Micro Craft, Inc., Tullahoma, Tennessee. Orbital Sciences Corporation, Chandler, Arizona, built the Pegasus rocket booster used to launch the X-43 vehicles. For the Dryden research flights, the Pegasus rocket booster and attached X-43 will be air launched by Dryden's B-52 "Mothership." After release from the B-52, the booster will accelerate the X-43A vehicle to the established test conditions (Mach 7 to 10) at an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet where the X-43 will separate from the booster and fly under its own power and preprogrammed control.
Photo Date	January 2000

NACA Dryden test pilot Howar …

Photo Date	1949

Dryden research pilot Gordon Fullerton on the Dryden ramp after his final flight.

Dryden research pilot Gordon …

Long-time NASA Dryden resear …

8/29/08

Description	Long-time NASA Dryden research pilot and former astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton capped an almost 50-year flying career, including more than 38 years with NASA, with a final flight in a NASA F/A-18 on Dec. 21, 2007. Fullerton and Dryden research pilot Jim Smolka flew a 90-minute pilot proficiency formation aerobatics flight with another Dryden F/A-18 and a Dryden T-38 before concluding with two low-level formation flyovers of Dryden before landing. Fullerton was honored with a water-cannon spray arch provided by two fire trucks from the Edwards Air Force Base fire department as he taxied the F/A-18 up to the Dryden ramp, and was then greeted by his wife Marie and several hundred Dryden staff after his final flight. December 21, 2007 NASA / Photo Tony Landis ED07-0294-27
Date	8/29/08

The second X-43A hypersonic research aircraft, attached to a modified Pegasus booster rocket and followed by a chase F-18, was taken to launch altitude by NASA's B-52B launch aircraft from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on March 27, 2004. About an hour later the Pegasus booster was released from the B-52 to accelerate the X-43A to its intended speed of Mach 7. In a combined research effort involving Dryden, Langley, and several industry partners, NASA demonstrated the value of its X-43A hypersonic research aircraft, as it became the first air-breathing, unpiloted, scramjet-powered plane to fly freely by itself. The March 27 flight, originating from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, began with the Agency's B-52B launch aircraft carrying the X-43A out to the test range over the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. The X-43A was boosted up to its test altitude of about 95,000 feet, where it separated from its modified Pegasus booster and flew freely under its own power. Two very significant aviation milestones occurred during this test flight: first, controlled accelerating flight at Mach 7 under scramjet power, and second, the successful stage separation at high dynamic pressure of two non-axisymmetric vehicles. To top it all off, the flight resulted in the setting of a new aeronautical speed record. The X-43A reached a speed of over Mach 7, or about 5,000 miles per hour faster than any known aircraft powered by an air-breathing engine has ever flown.

Photo Description	The second X-43A hypersonic research aircraft, attached to a modified Pegasus booster rocket and followed by a chase F-18, was taken to launch altitude by NASA's B-52B launch aircraft from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on March 27, 2004. About an hour later the Pegasus booster was released from the B-52 to accelerate the X-43A to its intended speed of Mach 7. In a combined research effort involving Dryden, Langley, and several industry partners, NASA demonstrated the value of its X-43A hypersonic research aircraft, as it became the first air-breathing, unpiloted, scramjet-powered plane to fly freely by itself. The March 27 flight, originating from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, began with the Agency's B-52B launch aircraft carrying the X-43A out to the test range over the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. The X-43A was boosted up to its test altitude of about 95,000 feet, where it separated from its modified Pegasus booster and flew freely under its own power. Two very significant aviation milestones occurred during this test flight: first, controlled accelerating flight at Mach 7 under scramjet power, and second, the successful stage separation at high dynamic pressure of two non-axisymmetric vehicles. To top it all off, the flight resulted in the setting of a new aeronautical speed record. The X-43A reached a speed of over Mach 7, or about 5,000 miles per hour faster than any known aircraft powered by an air-breathing engine has ever flown.
Project Description	The high-risk, high-payoff X-43A flights are the first actual flight tests of an aircraft powered by a scramjet engine capable of operating at hypersonic speeds (above Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound). The X-43A is powered by a revolutionary air-breathing supersonic-combustion ramjet or "scramjet" engine.
Photo Date	March 27, 2004

The second X-43A hypersonic research aircraft and its modified Pegasus booster rocket accelerate after launch from NASA's B-52B launch aircraft over the Pacific Ocean on March 27, 2004. The mission originated from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Minutes later the X-43A separated from the Pegasus booster and accelerated to its intended speed of Mach 7. In a combined research effort involving Dryden, Langley, and several industry partners, NASA demonstrated the value of its X-43A hypersonic research aircraft, as it became the first air-breathing, unpiloted, scramjet-powered plane to fly freely by itself. The March 27 flight, originating from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, began with the Agency's B-52B launch aircraft carrying the X-43A out to the test range over the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. The X-43A was boosted up to its test altitude of about 95,000 feet, where it separated from its modified Pegasus booster and flew freely under its own power. Two very significant aviation milestones occurred during this test flight: first, controlled accelerating flight at Mach 7 under scramjet power, and second, the successful stage separation at high dynamic pressure of two non-axisymmetric vehicles. To top it all off, the flight resulted in the setting of a new aeronautical speed record. The X-43A reached a speed of over Mach 7, or about 5,000 miles per hour faster than any known aircraft powered by an air-breathing engine has ever flown.

Photo Description	The second X-43A hypersonic research aircraft and its modified Pegasus booster rocket accelerate after launch from NASA's B-52B launch aircraft over the Pacific Ocean on March 27, 2004. The mission originated from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Minutes later the X-43A separated from the Pegasus booster and accelerated to its intended speed of Mach 7. In a combined research effort involving Dryden, Langley, and several industry partners, NASA demonstrated the value of its X-43A hypersonic research aircraft, as it became the first air-breathing, unpiloted, scramjet-powered plane to fly freely by itself. The March 27 flight, originating from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, began with the Agency's B-52B launch aircraft carrying the X-43A out to the test range over the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. The X-43A was boosted up to its test altitude of about 95,000 feet, where it separated from its modified Pegasus booster and flew freely under its own power. Two very significant aviation milestones occurred during this test flight: first, controlled accelerating flight at Mach 7 under scramjet power, and second, the successful stage separation at high dynamic pressure of two non-axisymmetric vehicles. To top it all off, the flight resulted in the setting of a new aeronautical speed record. The X-43A reached a speed of over Mach 7, or about 5,000 miles per hour faster than any known aircraft powered by an air-breathing engine has ever flown.
Project Description	The high-risk, high-payoff X-43A flights are the first actual flight tests of an aircraft powered by a scramjet engine capable of operating at hypersonic speeds (above Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound). The X-43A is powered by a revolutionary air-breathing supersonic-combustion ramjet or "scramjet" engine.
Photo Date	March 27, 2004

The second X-43A hypersonic research aircraft and its modified Pegasus booster rocket drop away from NASA's B-52B launch aircraft over the Pacific Ocean on March 27, 2004. The mission originated from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Moments later the Pegasus booster ignited to accelerate the X-43A to its intended speed of Mach 7.

Photo Description	The second X-43A hypersonic research aircraft and its modified Pegasus booster rocket drop away from NASA's B-52B launch aircraft over the Pacific Ocean on March 27, 2004. The mission originated from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Moments later the Pegasus booster ignited to accelerate the X-43A to its intended speed of Mach 7.
Project Description	The high-risk, unpiloted X-43A flights are the first actual flight tests of an aircraft powered by a scramjet engine capable of operating at hypersonic speeds (above Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound). The X-43A is powered by a revolutionary air-breathing supersonic-combustion ramjet or "scramjet" engine. In a combined research effort involving Dryden, Langley, and several industry partners, NASA demonstrated the value of its X-43A hypersonic research aircraft, as it became the first air-breathing, unpiloted, scramjet-powered plane to fly freely by itself. The March 27 flight, originating from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, began with the Agency's B-52B launch aircraft carrying the X-43A out to the test range over the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. The X-43A was boosted up to its test altitude of about 95,000 feet, where it separated from its modified Pegasus booster and flew freely under its own power. Two very significant aviation milestones occurred during this test flight: first, controlled accelerating flight at Mach 7 under scramjet power, and second, the successful stage separation at high dynamic pressure of two non-axisymmetric vehicles. To top it all off, the flight resulted in the setting of a new aeronautical speed record. The X-43A reached a speed of over Mach 7, or about 5,000 miles per hour faster than any known aircraft powered by an air-breathing engine has ever flown.
Photo Date	March 27, 2004

Photo Description	The second X-43A hypersonic research aircraft and its modified Pegasus booster rocket accelerate after launch from NASA's B-52B launch aircraft over the Pacific Ocean on March 27, 2004. The mission originated from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Minutes later the X-43A separated from the Pegasus booster and accelerated to its intended speed of Mach 7.
Project Description	The high-risk, high-payoff X-43A flights are the first actual flight tests of an aircraft powered by a scramjet engine capable of operating at hypersonic speeds (above Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound). The X-43A is powered by a revolutionary air-breathing supersonic-combustion ramjet or "scramjet" engine. In a combined research effort involving Dryden, Langley, and several industry partners, NASA demonstrated the value of its X-43A hypersonic research aircraft, as it became the first air-breathing, unpiloted, scramjet-powered plane to fly freely by itself. The March 27 flight, originating from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, began with the Agency's B-52B launch aircraft carrying the X-43A out to the test range over the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. The X-43A was boosted up to its test altitude of about 95,000 feet, where it separated from its modified Pegasus booster and flew freely under its own power. Two very significant aviation milestones occurred during this test flight: first, controlled accelerating flight at Mach 7 under scramjet power, and second, the successful stage separation at high dynamic pressure of two non-axisymmetric vehicles. To top it all off, the flight resulted in the setting of a new aeronautical speed record. The X-43A reached a speed of over Mach 7, or about 5,000 miles per hour faster than any known aircraft powered by an air-breathing engine has ever flown.
Photo Date	March 27, 2004

The second X-43A hypersonic research aircraft and its modified Pegasus booster rocket left the runway, carried aloft by NASA's B-52B launch aircraft from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on March 27, 2004. About an hour later the Pegasus booster was launched from the B-52 to accelerate the X-43A to its intended speed of Mach 7.

Photo Description	The second X-43A hypersonic research aircraft and its modified Pegasus booster rocket left the runway, carried aloft by NASA's B-52B launch aircraft from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on March 27, 2004. About an hour later the Pegasus booster was launched from the B-52 to accelerate the X-43A to its intended speed of Mach 7.
Project Description	The high-risk, high-payoff X-43A flights are the first actual flight tests of an aircraft powered by a scramjet engine capable of operating at hypersonic speeds (above Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound). The X-43A is powered by a revolutionary air-breathing supersonic-combustion ramjet or "scramjet" engine. In a combined research effort involving Dryden, Langley, and several industry partners, NASA demonstrated the value of its X-43A hypersonic research aircraft, as it became the first air-breathing, unpiloted, scramjet-powered plane to fly freely by itself. The March 27 flight, originating from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, began with the Agency's B-52B launch aircraft carrying the X-43A out to the test range over the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. The X-43A was boosted up to its test altitude of about 95,000 feet, where it separated from its modified Pegasus booster and flew freely under its own power. Two very significant aviation milestones occurred during this test flight: first, controlled accelerating flight at Mach 7 under scramjet power, and second, the successful stage separation at high dynamic pressure of two non-axisymmetric vehicles. To top it all off, the flight resulted in the setting of a new aeronautical speed record. The X-43A reached a speed of over Mach 7, or about 5,000 miles per hour faster than any known aircraft powered by an air-breathing engine has ever flown.
Photo Date	March 27, 2004

Photo Description	The second X-43A hypersonic research aircraft and its modified Pegasus booster rocket left the runway, carried aloft by NASA's B-52B launch aircraft from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on March 27, 2004. About an hour later the Pegasus booster was launched from the B-52 to accelerate the X-43A to its intended speed of Mach 7.
Project Description	The high-risk, high-payoff X-43A flights are the first actual flight tests of an aircraft powered by a scramjet engine capable of operating at hypersonic speeds (above Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound). The X-43A is powered by a revolutionary air-breathing supersonic-combustion ramjet or "scramjet" engine. In a combined research effort involving Dryden, Langley, and several industry partners, NASA demonstrated the value of its X-43A hypersonic research aircraft, as it became the first air-breathing, unpiloted, scramjet-powered plane to fly freely by itself. The March 27 flight, originating from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, began with the Agency's B-52B launch aircraft carrying the X-43A out to the test range over the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. The X-43A was boosted up to its test altitude of about 95,000 feet, where it separated from its modified Pegasus booster and flew freely under its own power. Two very significant aviation milestones occurred during this test flight: first, controlled accelerating flight at Mach 7 under scramjet power, and second, the successful stage separation at high dynamic pressure of two non-axisymmetric vehicles. To top it all off, the flight resulted in the setting of a new aeronautical speed record. The X-43A reached a speed of over Mach 7, or about 5,000 miles per hour faster than any known aircraft powered by an air-breathing engine has ever flown.
Photo Date	March 27, 2004

Photo Description	The second X-43A hypersonic research aircraft and its modified Pegasus booster rocket left the runway, carried aloft by NASA's B-52B launch aircraft from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on March 27, 2004. About an hour later the Pegasus booster was launched from the B-52 to accelerate the X-43A to its intended speed of Mach 7.
Project Description	The high-risk, unpiloted X-43A flights are the first actual flight tests of an aircraft powered by a scramjet engine capable of operating at hypersonic speeds (above Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound). The X-43A is powered by a revolutionary air-breathing supersonic-combustion ramjet or "scramjet" engine. In a combined research effort involving Dryden, Langley, and several industry partners, NASA demonstrated the value of its X-43A hypersonic research aircraft, as it became the first air-breathing, unpiloted, scramjet-powered plane to fly freely by itself. The March 27 flight, originating from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, began with the Agency's B-52B launch aircraft carrying the X-43A out to the test range over the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. The X-43A was boosted up to its test altitude of about 95,000 feet, where it separated from its modified Pegasus booster and flew freely under its own power. Two very significant aviation milestones occurred during this test flight: first, controlled accelerating flight at Mach 7 under scramjet power, and second, the successful stage separation at high dynamic pressure of two non-axisymmetric vehicles. To top it all off, the flight resulted in the setting of a new aeronautical speed record. The X-43A reached a speed of over Mach 7, or about 5,000 miles per hour faster than any known aircraft powered by an air-breathing engine has ever flown.
Photo Date	March 27, 2004

Photo Description	The second X-43A hypersonic research aircraft and its modified Pegasus booster rocket left the runway, carried aloft by NASA's B-52B launch aircraft from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on March 27, 2004. About an hour later the Pegasus booster was launched from the B-52 to accelerate the X-43A to its intended speed of Mach 7.
Project Description	The high-risk, unpiloted X-43A flights are the first actual flight tests of an aircraft powered by a scramjet engine capable of operating at hypersonic speeds (above Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound). The X-43A is powered by a revolutionary air-breathing supersonic-combustion ramjet or "scramjet" engine. In a combined research effort involving Dryden, Langley, and several industry partners, NASA demonstrated the value of its X-43A hypersonic research aircraft, as it became the first air-breathing, unpiloted, scramjet-powered plane to fly freely by itself. The March 27 flight, originating from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, began with the Agency's B-52B launch aircraft carrying the X-43A out to the test range over the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. The X-43A was boosted up to its test altitude of about 95,000 feet, where it separated from its modified Pegasus booster and flew freely under its own power. Two very significant aviation milestones occurred during this test flight: first, controlled accelerating flight at Mach 7 under scramjet power, and second, the successful stage separation at high dynamic pressure of two non-axisymmetric vehicles. To top it all off, the flight resulted in the setting of a new aeronautical speed record. The X-43A reached a speed of over Mach 7, or about 5,000 miles per hour faster than any known aircraft powered by an air-breathing engine has ever flown.
Photo Date	March 27, 2004

This NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station photograph of the X-5 was taken at the South Base of Edwards Air Force Base. The photograph shows the X-5 on the ramp in-front of the NACA hangar.

X-5 on Ramp - Side View

Photo Description	This NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station photograph of the X-5 was taken at the South Base of Edwards Air Force Base. The photograph shows the X-5 on the ramp in-front of the NACA hangar.
Project Description	The Bell, X-5 was flight tested at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (now the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) from 1952 to 1955. The X-5 was the first aircraft capable of sweeping its wings in flight. It helped provide data about wing-sweep at angles of up to 60 degrees at subsonic and transonic speeds. There were two X-5 vehicles. Ship 1 was flown at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (High-Speed Flight Station, as it was redesignated in 1954) from 1951 to 1955. Ship 2 was operated by Bell and the U.S. Air Force and was lost in a spin accident in 1953. Following the conclusion of the contractor?s test program, the X-5 was grounded for installation of a NACA instrument package. The Air Force conducted a short, six-flight, evaluation program. Since the Air Force evaluation program included data collection, it was considered as part of the overall NACA effort and flights were logged as AF/NACA. In the NACA test program, the X-5 demonstrated severe stall-spin instability. The X-5 was also used as a chase plane for other research aircraft because it could vary its flying characteristics to suit the airplane it was chasing. Ship 1 flew a total of 133 flights during its three years of service. In spite of the problems with the aircraft, the X-5 provided a significant full-scale verification of NACA wind-tunnel predictions for reduced drag and improved performance that resulted from this configuration?s increasing the wing sweep as the speed of the aircraft approached the speed of sound. The X-5 flight tests provided some of the design data for the Air Force F-111 and Navy F-14 tactical aircraft. Although the mechanism by which the X-5 changed its wing sweep made this particular design impractical, development of a viable variable-sweep aircraft had to await Langley Aeronautical Laboratory?s concept of an outboard wing pivot in the mid-1950s. (Langley was a NACA research laboratory in Hampton, Virginia.) The X-5 was a single seat aircraft powered by an Allison J-35-A-17A jet engine. It was 33.33 feet long with a wingspan of 20.9 feet (with the wings swept back at an angle of 60 degrees) to 33.5 feet (with the wings unswept). When fully fueled, the X-5 weighed 9,875 pounds.
Photo Date	1952

This NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station photograph of the X-5 was taken at the South Base of Edwards Air Force Base in 1952. The photograph is a left side view of the aircraft on the ramp.

X-5 on Ramp

Photo Description	This NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station photograph of the X-5 was taken at the South Base of Edwards Air Force Base in 1952. The photograph is a left side view of the aircraft on the ramp.
Project Description	The Bell, X-5 was flight tested at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (now the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) from 1952 to 1955. The X-5 was the first aircraft capable of sweeping its wings in flight. It helped provide data about wing-sweep at angles of up to 60 degrees at subsonic and transonic speeds. There were two X-5 vehicles. Ship 1 was flown at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (High-Speed Flight Station, as it was redesignated in 1954) from 1951 to 1955. Ship 2 was operated by Bell and the U.S. Air Force and was lost in a spin accident in 1953. Following the conclusion of the contractor?s test program, the X-5 was grounded for installation of a NACA instrument package. The Air Force conducted a short, six-flight, evaluation program. Since the Air Force evaluation program included data collection, it was considered as part of the overall NACA effort and flights were logged as AF/NACA. In the NACA test program, the X-5 demonstrated severe stall-spin instability. The X-5 was also used as a chase plane for other research aircraft because it could vary its flying characteristics to suit the airplane it was chasing. Ship 1 flew a total of 133 flights during its three years of service. In spite of the problems with the aircraft, the X-5 provided a significant full-scale verification of NACA wind-tunnel predictions for reduced drag and improved performance that resulted from this configuration?s increasing the wing sweep as the speed of the aircraft approached the speed of sound. The X-5 flight tests provided some of the design data for the Air Force F-111 and Navy F-14 tactical aircraft. Although the mechanism by which the X-5 changed its wing sweep made this particular design impractical, development of a viable variable-sweep aircraft had to await Langley Aeronautical Laboratory?s concept of an outboard wing pivot in the mid-1950s. (Langley was a NACA research laboratory in Hampton, Virginia.) The X-5 was a single seat aircraft powered by an Allison J-35-A-17A jet engine. It was 33.33 feet long with a wingspan of 20.9 feet (with the wings swept back at an angle of 60 degrees) to 33.5 feet (with the wings unswept). When fully fueled, the X-5 weighed 9,875 pounds.
Photo Date	January 1952

This NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station photograph of the X-5 was taken at the South Base of Edwards Air Force Base. The photograph, a multiple exposure, illustrates the X-5's variably swept wing capability.

X-5 Multiple Exposure Photo …

Photo Description	This NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station photograph of the X-5 was taken at the South Base of Edwards Air Force Base. The photograph, a multiple exposure, illustrates the X-5's variably swept wing capability.
Project Description	The Bell, X-5 was flight tested at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (now the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) from 1952 to 1955. The X-5 was the first aircraft capable of sweeping its wings in flight. It helped provide data about wing-sweep at angles of up to 60 degrees at subsonic and transonic speeds. There were two X-5 vehicles. Ship 1 was flown at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (High-Speed Flight Station, as it was redesignated in 1954) from 1951 to 1955. Ship 2 was operated by Bell and the U.S. Air Force and was lost in a spin accident in 1953. Following the conclusion of the contractor?s test program, the X-5 was grounded for installation of a NACA instrument package. The Air Force conducted a short, six-flight, evaluation program. Since the Air Force evaluation program included data collection, it was considered as part of the overall NACA effort and flights were logged as AF/NACA. In the NACA test program, the X-5 demonstrated severe stall-spin instability. The X-5 was also used as a chase plane for other research aircraft because it could vary its flying characteristics to suit the airplane it was chasing. Ship 1 flew a total of 133 flights during its three years of service. In spite of the problems with the aircraft, the X-5 provided a significant full-scale verification of NACA wind-tunnel predictions for reduced drag and improved performance that resulted from this configuration?s increasing the wing sweep as the speed of the aircraft approached the speed of sound. The X-5 flight tests provided some of the design data for the Air Force F-111 and Navy F-14 tactical aircraft. Although the mechanism by which the X-5 changed its wing sweep made this particular design impractical, development of a viable variable-sweep aircraft had to await Langley Aeronautical Laboratory?s concept of an outboard wing pivot in the mid-1950s. (Langley was a NACA research laboratory in Hampton, Virginia.) The X-5 was a single seat aircraft powered by an Allison J-35-A-17A jet engine. It was 33.33 feet long with a wingspan of 20.9 feet (with the wings swept back at an angle of 60 degrees) to 33.5 feet (with the wings unswept). When fully fueled, the X-5 weighed 9,875 pounds.
Photo Date	23 September 1952

This NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station photograph of the X-5 was taken at Edwards Air Force Base in the mid 1950s. The photograph shows the aircraft in flight with the wings swept back.

X-5

Photo Description	This NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station photograph of the X-5 was taken at Edwards Air Force Base in the mid 1950s. The photograph shows the aircraft in flight with the wings swept back.
Project Description	The Bell, X-5 was flight tested at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (now the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) from 1952 to 1955. The X-5 was the first aircraft capable of sweeping its wings in flight. It helped provide data about wing-sweep at angles of up to 60 degrees at subsonic and transonic speeds. There were two X-5 vehicles. Ship 1 was flown at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (High-Speed Flight Station, as it was redesignated in 1954) from 1951 to 1955. Ship 2 was operated by Bell and the U.S. Air Force and was lost in a spin accident in 1953. Following the conclusion of the contractor?s test program, the X-5 was grounded for installation of a NACA instrument package. The Air Force conducted a short, six-flight, evaluation program. Since the Air Force evaluation program included data collection, it was considered as part of the overall NACA effort and flights were logged as AF/NACA. In the NACA test program, the X-5 demonstrated severe stall-spin instability. The X-5 was also used as a chase plane for other research aircraft because it could vary its flying characteristics to suit the airplane it was chasing. Ship 1 flew a total of 133 flights during its three years of service. In spite of the problems with the aircraft, the X-5 provided a significant full-scale verification of NACA wind-tunnel predictions for reduced drag and improved performance that resulted from this configuration?s increasing the wing sweep as the speed of the aircraft approached the speed of sound. The X-5 flight tests provided some of the design data for the Air Force F-111 and Navy F-14 tactical aircraft. Although the mechanism by which the X-5 changed its wing sweep made this particular design impractical, development of a viable variable-sweep aircraft had to await Langley Aeronautical Laboratory?s concept of an outboard wing pivot in the mid-1950s. (Langley was a NACA research laboratory in Hampton, Virginia.) The X-5 was a single seat aircraft powered by an Allison J-35-A-17A jet engine. It was 33.33 feet long with a wingspan of 20.9 feet (with the wings swept back at an angle of 60 degrees) to 33.5 feet (with the wings unswept). When fully fueled, the X-5 weighed 9,875 pounds.
Photo Date	1957

B-57B on ramp

Title	B-57B on ramp
Description	A converted Martin B-57B Canberra medium bomber sits on the ramp at the NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, California. The rugged NASA aircraft was flown by Dryden in the early 1970s to learn more about the atmosphere. Instrumented with a data acquisition system, Dryden pilots measured atmospheric conditions and clear-air turbulence at various altitudes and sampled the upper atmosphere for various aerosols. The research - to give scientists a better understanding of mountain waves, jet streams, convective turbulence, clear-air turbulence, and atmospheric contaminants - was sponsored by NASA's Langley Research Center, the University of Wyoming, and the Department of Transportation. The aircraft was retired from flight status in 1987. In the early 1970s, a Martin B-57B Canberra light bomber was used in several NASA joint flight test programs at the NASA Flight Research Center (now Dryden Flight Research Center) located at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The early 1970s showed a growing interest in continuing atmospheric research. The B-57B was at the NASA Flight Research Center for a joint program with NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia and was having a special set of instrumentation installed. Delays in completing the instruments provided an opportunity to support the NASA space program. The B-57B was used in proof-of-concept testing of the Viking Mars landers. The deceleration drop testing part of the program took place at the Joint Parachute Test Facility, El Centro, California. With completion of the Viking parachute tests, the B-57B was flown for measuring and analysis of atmospheric turbulence research in 1974-75 as part of a joint NASA program between the Flight Research Center and Langley Research Center. Additional atmospheric testing provided samples of aerosols for the University of Wyoming and clear-air turbulence data for the Department of Transportation. The aircraft was tested over a span of many years at Edwards Air Force Base by various NASA centers for other types of research. Earlier, in the 1960s, the aircraft was flown at the Flight Research Center by the Lewis Research Center (now the John Glenn Research Center) in support of the newly established NASA Electronics Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Later, in 1982, the B-57B aircraft returned to the Flight Research Center (then the Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility) for more Langley-sponsored turbulence testing. The atmospheric research conducted using the B-57B Canberra provided information on mountain waves, jet streams, convective turbulence, and clear-air turbulence.
Date	01.01.1982

NASA's historic B-52 mother ship carried the X-43A and its Pegasus booster rocket on a captive carry flight from Edwards Air Force Base Jan. 26, 2004. The X-43A and its booster remained mated to the B-52 throughout the two-hour flight, intended to check its readiness for launch. The hydrogen-fueled aircraft is autonomous and has a wingspan of approximately 5 feet, measures 12 feet long and weighs about 2,800 pounds.

Photo Description	NASA's historic B-52 mother ship carried the X-43A and its Pegasus booster rocket on a captive carry flight from Edwards Air Force Base Jan. 26, 2004. The X-43A and its booster remained mated to the B-52 throughout the two-hour flight, intended to check its readiness for launch. The hydrogen-fueled aircraft is autonomous and has a wingspan of approximately 5 feet, measures 12 feet long and weighs about 2,800 pounds.
Project Description	The X-43A will ride on the first stage of an Orbital Sciences Corp. Pegasus booster rocket, which will be launched by Dryden's B-52 at about 40,000 feet. For each flight, the booster will accelerate the X-43A research vehicle to the test conditions (Mach 7 or 10) at approximately 100,000 feet, where it will separate from the booster and fly under its own power. In a combined research effort involving Dryden, Langley, and several industry partners, NASA demonstrated the value of its X-43A hypersonic research aircraft, as it became the first air-breathing, unpiloted, scramjet-powered plane to fly freely by itself. The March 27 flight, originating from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, began with the Agency's B-52B launch aircraft carrying the X-43A out to the test range over the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. The X-43A was boosted up to its test altitude of about 95,000 feet, where it separated from its modified Pegasus booster and flew freely under its own power. Two very significant aviation milestones occurred during this test flight: first, controlled accelerating flight at Mach 7 under scramjet power, and second, the successful stage separation at high dynamic pressure of two non-axisymmetric vehicles. To top it all off, the flight resulted in the setting of a new aeronautical speed record. The X-43A reached a speed of over Mach 7, or about 5,000 miles per hour faster than any known aircraft powered by an air-breathing engine has ever flown.
Photo Date	Jan. 26, 2004

Photo Description	NASA's historic B-52 mother ship carried the X-43A and its Pegasus booster rocket on a captive carry flight from Edwards Air Force Base Jan. 26, 2004. The X-43A and its booster remained mated to the B-52 throughout the two-hour flight, intended to check its readiness for launch. The hydrogen-fueled aircraft is autonomous and has a wingspan of approximately 5 feet, measures 12 feet long and weighs about 2,800 pounds.
Project Description	The X-43A will ride on the first stage of an Orbital Sciences Corp. Pegasus booster rocket, which will be launched by Dryden's B-52 at about 40,000 feet. For each flight, the booster will accelerate the X-43A research vehicle to the test conditions (Mach 7 or 10) at approximately 100,000 feet, where it will separate from the booster and fly under its own power. In a combined research effort involving Dryden, Langley, and several industry partners, NASA demonstrated the value of its X-43A hypersonic research aircraft, as it became the first air-breathing, unpiloted, scramjet-powered plane to fly freely by itself. The March 27 flight, originating from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, began with the Agency's B-52B launch aircraft carrying the X-43A out to the test range over the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. The X-43A was boosted up to its test altitude of about 95,000 feet, where it separated from its modified Pegasus booster and flew freely under its own power. Two very significant aviation milestones occurred during this test flight: first, controlled accelerating flight at Mach 7 under scramjet power, and second, the successful stage separation at high dynamic pressure of two non-axisymmetric vehicles. To top it all off, the flight resulted in the setting of a new aeronautical speed record. The X-43A reached a speed of over Mach 7, or about 5,000 miles per hour faster than any known aircraft powered by an air-breathing engine has ever flown.
Photo Date	Jan. 26, 2004

Photo Description	NASA's historic B-52 mother ship carried the X-43A and its Pegasus booster rocket on a captive carry flight from Edwards Air Force Base Jan. 26, 2004. The X-43A and its booster remained mated to the B-52 throughout the two-hour flight, intended to check its readiness for launch. The hydrogen-fueled aircraft is autonomous and has a wingspan of approximately 5 feet, measures 12 feet long and weighs about 2,800 pounds.
Project Description	The X-43A will ride on the first stage of an Orbital Sciences Corp. Pegasus booster rocket, which will be launched by Dryden's B-52 at about 40,000 feet. For each flight, the booster will accelerate the X-43A research vehicle to the test conditions (Mach 7 or 10) at approximately 100,000 feet, where it will separate from the booster and fly under its own power. In a combined research effort involving Dryden, Langley, and several industry partners, NASA demonstrated the value of its X-43A hypersonic research aircraft, as it became the first air-breathing, unpiloted, scramjet-powered plane to fly freely by itself. The March 27 flight, originating from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, began with the Agency's B-52B launch aircraft carrying the X-43A out to the test range over the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. The X-43A was boosted up to its test altitude of about 95,000 feet, where it separated from its modified Pegasus booster and flew freely under its own power. Two very significant aviation milestones occurred during this test flight: first, controlled accelerating flight at Mach 7 under scramjet power, and second, the successful stage separation at high dynamic pressure of two non-axisymmetric vehicles. To top it all off, the flight resulted in the setting of a new aeronautical speed record. The X-43A reached a speed of over Mach 7, or about 5,000 miles per hour faster than any known aircraft powered by an air-breathing engine has ever flown.
Photo Date	Jan. 26, 2004

Dryden staff formed long lines on the ramp to greet retired research pilot Gordon Fullert

Dryden staff formed long lin …

Long-time NASA Dryden resear …

8/29/08

Description	Long-time NASA Dryden research pilot and former astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton capped an almost 50-year flying career, including more than 38 years with NASA, with a final flight in a NASA F/A-18 on Dec. 21, 2007. Fullerton and Dryden research pilot Jim Smolka flew a 90-minute pilot proficiency formation aerobatics flight with another Dryden F/A-18 and a Dryden T-38 before concluding with two low-level formation flyovers of Dryden before landing. Fullerton was honored with a water-cannon spray arch provided by two fire trucks from the Edwards Air Force Base fire department as he taxied the F/A-18 up to the Dryden ramp, and was then greeted by his wife Marie and several hundred Dryden staff after his final flight. December 21, 2007 NASA / Photo Tom Tschida ED07-0294-44
Date	8/29/08

Shuttle Columbia in the Mate-Demate at NASA Dryden.

Shuttle Columbia in the Mate …

The Space Shuttle Columbia c …

10/9/08

Description	The Space Shuttle Columbia can be seen in the post-flight processing facility known as the MDD (Mate-Demate Device) at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, CA, in this aerial view taken shortly after completing its first orbital mission with a landing at Edwards Air Force Base. April, 1981 NASA / Photo ECN-14962
Date	10/9/08

Dryden's two T-38A Mission Support Aircraft Fly in Tight Formation

Dryden's two T-38A Mission S …

NASA Dryden's two T-38A miss …

10/6/08

Description	NASA Dryden's two T-38A mission support aircraft fly in tight formation while conducting a pitot-static airspeed calibration check near Edwards Air Force Base. September 26, 2007 NASA / Photo Jim Ross ED07-0222-06
Date	10/6/08

X-43A Undergoing Controlled …

Title	X-43A Undergoing Controlled Radio Frequency Testing in the Benefield Anechoic Facility at Edwards Ai
Description	The X-43A Hypersonic Experimental (Hyper-X) Vehicle hangs suspended in the cavernous Benefield Aenechoic Facility at Edwards Air Force Base during radio frequency tests in January 2000. Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, "air-breathing" engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry only fuel. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen, future hypersonic vehicles will be able to carry heavier payloads. Another unique aspect of the X-43A vehicle is the airframe integration. The body of the vehicle itself forms critical elements of the engine. The forebody acts as part of the intake for airflow and the aft section serves as the nozzle. The X-43A vehicles were manufactured by Micro Craft, Inc., Tullahoma, Tennessee. Orbital Sciences Corporation, Chandler, Arizona, built the Pegasus rocket booster used to launch the X-43 vehicles. For the Dryden research flights, the Pegasus rocket booster and attached X-43 will be air launched by Dryden's B-52 "Mothership." After release from the B-52, the booster will accelerate the X-43A vehicle to the established test conditions (Mach 7 to 10) at an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet where the X-43 will separate from the booster and fly under its own power and preprogrammed control.
Date	01.01.2000

X-43A Undergoing Controlled …

Title	X-43A Undergoing Controlled Radio Frequency Testing in the Benefield Anechoic Facility at Edwards Ai
Description	The X-43A Hypersonic Experimental (Hyper-X) Vehicle hangs suspended in the cavernous Benefield Aenechoic Facility at Edwards Air Force Base during radio frequency tests in January 2000. Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, "air-breathing" engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry only fuel. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen, future hypersonic vehicles will be able to carry heavier payloads. Another unique aspect of the X-43A vehicle is the airframe integration. The body of the vehicle itself forms critical elements of the engine. The forebody acts as part of the intake for airflow and the aft section serves as the nozzle. The X-43A vehicles were manufactured by Micro Craft, Inc., Tullahoma, Tennessee. Orbital Sciences Corporation, Chandler, Arizona, built the Pegasus rocket booster used to launch the X-43 vehicles. For the Dryden research flights, the Pegasus rocket booster and attached X-43 will be air launched by Dryden's B-52 "Mothership." After release from the B-52, the booster will accelerate the X-43A vehicle to the established test conditions (Mach 7 to 10) at an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet where the X-43 will separate from the booster and fly under its own power and preprogrammed control.
Date	01.01.2000

X-43A Undergoing Controlled …

Title	X-43A Undergoing Controlled Radio Frequency Testing in the Benefield Anechoic Facility at Edwards Ai
Description	The X-43A Hypersonic Experimental (Hyper-X) Vehicle hangs suspended in the cavernous Benefield Aenechoic Facility at Edwards Air Force Base during radio frequency tests in January 2000. Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, "air-breathing" engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry only fuel. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen, future hypersonic vehicles will be able to carry heavier payloads. Another unique aspect of the X-43A vehicle is the airframe integration. The body of the vehicle itself forms critical elements of the engine. The forebody acts as part of the intake for airflow and the aft section serves as the nozzle. The X-43A vehicles were manufactured by Micro Craft, Inc., Tullahoma, Tennessee. Orbital Sciences Corporation, Chandler, Arizona, built the Pegasus rocket booster used to launch the X-43 vehicles. For the Dryden research flights, the Pegasus rocket booster and attached X-43 will be air launched by Dryden's B-52 "Mothership." After release from the B-52, the booster will accelerate the X-43A vehicle to the established test conditions (Mach 7 to 10) at an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet where the X-43 will separate from the booster and fly under its own power and preprogrammed control.
Date	01.01.2000

X-43A Undergoing Controlled …

Title	X-43A Undergoing Controlled Radio Frequency Testing in the Benefield Anechoic Facility at Edwards Ai
Description	The X-43A Hypersonic Experimental (Hyper-X) Vehicle hangs suspended in the cavernous Benefield Aenechoic Facility at Edwards Air Force Base during radio frequency tests in January 2000. Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, "air-breathing" engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry only fuel. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen, future hypersonic vehicles will be able to carry heavier payloads. Another unique aspect of the X-43A vehicle is the airframe integration. The body of the vehicle itself forms critical elements of the engine. The forebody acts as part of the intake for airflow and the aft section serves as the nozzle. The X-43A vehicles were manufactured by Micro Craft, Inc., Tullahoma, Tennessee. Orbital Sciences Corporation, Chandler, Arizona, built the Pegasus rocket booster used to launch the X-43 vehicles. For the Dryden research flights, the Pegasus rocket booster and attached X-43 will be air launched by Dryden's B-52 "Mothership." After release from the B-52, the booster will accelerate the X-43A vehicle to the established test conditions (Mach 7 to 10) at an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet where the X-43 will separate from the booster and fly under its own power and preprogrammed control.
Date	01.01.2000

Guppy

EC00-0212-13Members of the f …

4/20/09

Description	EC00-0212-13Members of the flight and ground crews prepare to unload equipment from NASA's B377SGT Super Guppy Turbine cargo aircraft on the ramp at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The outsize cargo plane had delivered the latest version of the X-38 flight test vehicle to NASA Dryden when this photo was taken on June 11, 2000.July 11, 2000NASA Photo / Tony Landis
Date	4/20/09

YF-12A Coldwall Ground Separ …

YF-12C mid-air refueling

YF-12C approach and landing …

YF-12A landing at Edwards Ai …

YF-12C takeoff from Edwards …

HL-10 approach and landing a …

HL-10 after landing with pil …

HL-10 cockpit view of approa …

HL-10 landing with F5D-1 Sky …

Intern Steven Humphrey

Steven Humphrey, a mechanica …

3/20/09

Description	Steven Humphrey, a mechanical engineering graduate of the University of South Florida in Tampa, is interning at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center located on Edwards Air Force Base in California. He operates displays used for an interactive computer software system that gathers, retains and interprets flight data from sensors installed on NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy 747SP aircraft. (NASA photo / Tom Tschida) March 18, 2009 NASA Photo ED09-0061-08
Date	3/20/09

Shuttle Discovery Night Land …

Space Shuttle Discovery land …

10/9/08

Description	Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in Calif. at 5:11 a.m. this morning, following the very successful 14-day STS-114 return to flight mission. August 9, 2005 NASA / Photo Carla Thomas ED05-0166-01
Date	10/9/08

Guppy

EC00-0212-2NASA's B377SGT Su …

4/20/09

Description	EC00-0212-2NASA's B377SGT Super Guppy Turbine cargo aircraft touches down at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. on June 11, 2000 to deliver the latest version of the X-38 flight test vehicle to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center.July 11, 2000NASA Photo / Tom Tschida
Date	4/20/09

Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology (ACAT)

Automatic Collision Avoidanc …

ED09-0070-21 The U.S. Air Fo …

4/22/09

Description	ED09-0070-21 The U.S. Air Force's F-16D Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology (ACAT) aircraft flies over Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center is working with the Air Force Research Laboratory in the ACAT Fighter Risk Reduction Project to develop collision avoidance technologies for fighter/attack aircraft that would reduce the risk of ground and mid-air collisions. March 24, 2009 NASA Photo / Jim Ross
Date	4/22/09

STS-125

ED09-0127-099 Space Shuttle …

6/1/09

Description	ED09-0127-099 Space Shuttle Atlantis is carried by one of NASA's modified 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft over California's high desert after leaving NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base on a ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. June 1, 2009 NASA Photo / Jim Ross
Date	6/1/09

STS-125

ED09-0127-110 Southern Calif …

6/1/09

Description	ED09-0127-110 Southern California's high desert provides the backdrop as one of NASA's two modified 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft ferries Space Shuttle Atlantis back to the Kennedy Space Center after departing NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base. Atlantis had landed at Edwards to conclude shuttle mission STS-125, the final servicing mission of the Hubble Space Telescope. June 1, 2009 NASA Photo / Jim Ross
Date	6/1/09

STS-126

Under soggy skies on a Sunda …

12/8/08

Description	Under soggy skies on a Sunday morning, the Space Shuttle Endeavour is encased in the Mate-DeMate gantry during turnaround processing at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center following its STS-126 landing at Edwards Air Force Base a week earlier. Read STS-126 Status Report December 7, 2008 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida ED08-0306-84
Date	12/8/08

Active Aeroelastic Wing (AAW …

EC02-0264-01 The Active Aero …

4/23/09

Description	EC02-0264-01 The Active Aeroelastic Wing F-18A lifts off on its first checkout flight November 15, 2002, from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. &#8250, Read Project Description November 15, 2002 NASA Photo / Tony Landis
Date	4/23/09

STS-128

ED09-0253-13 Mission special …

9/12/09

Description	ED09-0253-13 Mission specialist Jose Hernandez waves as Space Shuttle Discovery's crew board a Gulfstream II Shuttle Training Aircraft for the trip back to Houston from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base. Discovery had landed at Edwards the preceding evening to conclude mission STS-128 to the International Space Station. September 12, 2009 NASA photo / Jim Ross
Date	9/12/09

Walter C. Williams

Photo Date	Oct. 1949

Kelly Latimer is a research pilot in the Flight Crew Branch of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. Latimer joined NASA in March 2007 and will fly the T38, T-34, G-III, C-17 and the "Ikhana" Predator B. Latimer is Dryden's first female research test pilot. Prior to joining NASA, Latimer was on active duty with the U.S. Air Force. She has accumulated more than 5,000 hours of military and civilian flight experience in 30 aircraft. Latimer's first association with NASA was while attending graduate school at George Washington University, Washington, D.C. Her studies included work with the Joint Institute for the Advancement of Flight Sciences at NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va. She flew an Air Force C-17 during a 2005 NASA study to reduce aircraft noise. A team of California Polytechnic State University students and Northrop Grumman personnel were stationed on Rogers Dry Lake located at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to record the noise footprint of the aircraft as it made various landing approaches to Edwards' runway. Latimer completed undergraduate pilot training at Reese Air Force Base, Texas, in 1990. She remained at Reese as a T-38 instructor pilot until 1993. She was assigned as a C-141 aircraft commander at McCord Air Force Base, Tacoma, Wash., until 1996. Latimer graduated from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards in Class 96B. She served as a C-17 and C-141 experimental test pilot at Edwards until 2000. She then became the chief of the Performance Branch and a T-38 instructor pilot at The Air Force Test Pilot School. She returned to McCord in 2002, where she was a C-17 aircraft commander and the operations officer for the 62nd Operations Support Squadron. In 2004, Latimer became the commander of Edwards' 418th Flight Test Squadron and director of the Global Reach Combined Test Force. Following that assignment, she deployed to Iraq as an advisor to the Iraqi Air Force. Her last active duty tour was as an instructor at the Air Force Test Pilot School. She retired from active duty in 2007 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. She received her commission from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science in astronautical engineering. Latimer earned a Master of Science in astronautics from George Washington University.

Photo Description	Kelly Latimer is a research pilot in the Flight Crew Branch of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. Latimer joined NASA in March 2007 and will fly the T38, T-34, G-III, C-17 and the "Ikhana" Predator B. Latimer is Dryden's first female research test pilot. Prior to joining NASA, Latimer was on active duty with the U.S. Air Force. She has accumulated more than 5,000 hours of military and civilian flight experience in 30 aircraft. Latimer's first association with NASA was while attending graduate school at George Washington University, Washington, D.C. Her studies included work with the Joint Institute for the Advancement of Flight Sciences at NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va. She flew an Air Force C-17 during a 2005 NASA study to reduce aircraft noise. A team of California Polytechnic State University students and Northrop Grumman personnel were stationed on Rogers Dry Lake located at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to record the noise footprint of the aircraft as it made various landing approaches to Edwards' runway. Latimer completed undergraduate pilot training at Reese Air Force Base, Texas, in 1990. She remained at Reese as a T-38 instructor pilot until 1993. She was assigned as a C-141 aircraft commander at McCord Air Force Base, Tacoma, Wash., until 1996. Latimer graduated from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards in Class 96B. She served as a C-17 and C-141 experimental test pilot at Edwards until 2000. She then became the chief of the Performance Branch and a T-38 instructor pilot at The Air Force Test Pilot School. She returned to McCord in 2002, where she was a C-17 aircraft commander and the operations officer for the 62nd Operations Support Squadron. In 2004, Latimer became the commander of Edwards' 418th Flight Test Squadron and director of the Global Reach Combined Test Force. Following that assignment, she deployed to Iraq as an advisor to the Iraqi Air Force. Her last active duty tour was as an instructor at the Air Force Test Pilot School. She retired from active duty in 2007 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. She received her commission from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science in astronautical engineering. Latimer earned a Master of Science in astronautics from George Washington University.
Photo Date	March 9, 2007

Autonomous Formation Flight …

EC01-0267-6 Two NASA Dryden …

4/23/09

Description	EC01-0267-6 Two NASA Dryden F/A-18's land on the Edwards Air Force Base runway after completion of an Autonomous Formation Flight (AFF) mission. The goal of the AFF project is to demonstrate sustained 10 percent fuel savings by the trailing aircraft during cruise flight. Data suggests savings as high as 15 percent are achievable. &#8250, Read Project Description September 20, 2001 NASA Photo / Lori Losey
Date	4/23/09

Four F-18s in Echelon Format …

Four of NASA's F/A-18 suppor …

3/13/09

Description	Four of NASA's F/A-18 support aircraft fly in a tight formation over Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. NASA Dryden operates two single-seat F/A-18A models and a like number of two-seat F/A-18B models in a variety of mission support and flight research roles. (NASA photo / Carla Thomas)
Date	3/13/09

Two T-38A mission support Aircraft Fly in Tight Formation.

Two T-38A mission support Ai …

NASA Dryden's two T-38A miss …

10/3/08

Description	NASA Dryden's two T-38A mission support aircraft fly in tight formation while conducting a pitot-static airspeed calibration check near Edwards Air Force Base. September 26, 2007 NASA / Photo Jim Ross ED07-0222-29
Date	10/3/08

STS-125

ED09-0127-101 NASA Dryden ph …

6/1/09

Description	ED09-0127-101 NASA Dryden photographer Jim Ross captured this overhead view of Space Shuttle Atlantis atop NASA's modified 747 carrier aircraft over California's high desert from an F/A-18 mission support aircraft after departing Edwards Air Force Base on a ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. June 1, 2009 NASA Photo / Jim Ross
Date	6/1/09

STS-117

ED07-0137-16 The Space Shutt …

7/1/09

Description	ED07-0137-16 The Space Shuttle Atlantis is towed from the runway at Edwards Air Force Base to NASA Dryden's Mate-Demate Device (MDD) for post-flight processing. NASA Photo / Jim Ross June 22, 2007
Date	7/1/09

F-15B #836 Research Testbed

Project Description NASA's t …

9/23/08

Description	Project Description NASA's two F-15 research aircraft don't get a lot of flight hours, and it's even rarer to have them in the air together on the same mission. But research pilots Jim Smolka and Craig Bomben from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center put the highly modified aircraft through their paces during a mission over the Edwards Air Force Base test range in late July that supported the Intelligent Flight Control System's (IFCS) project. The canard-equipped F-15B tail number 837, NASA's IFCS aircraft, was flying structural mode validation flights at the time, leading to Generation II IFCS flights planned for later in 2005. F-15B tail number 836 was flying safety chase as well as for pilot proficiency in air refueling. Both aircraft performed aerial refueling from an Air Force KC-135 tanker aircraft. At the end of the mission, the two joined up for a formation fly-over of their home at NASA Dryden. Photo Description NASA's two modified F-15B research aircraft joined up for a fly-over of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards AFB, Calif., after a research mission. July 22, 2005 Nasa Photo /Tony Landis EC05-0148-31
Date	9/23/08

X-40A Space Manuever Vehicle

EC01-0070-1 The X-40A immedi …

03/14/2001

Description	EC01-0070-1 The X-40A immediately after release from its harness suspended from a helicopter 15,000 feet above NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on March 14, 2001. The unpiloted X-40 is a risk-reduction vehicle for the X-37, which is intended to be a reusable space vehicle. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala, manages the X-37 project. At Dryden, the X-40A will undergo a series of ground and air tests to reduce possible risks to the larger X-37, including drop tests from a helicopter to check guidance and navigation systems planned for use in the X-37. The X-37 is designed to demonstrate technologies in the orbital and reentry environments for next-generation reusable launch vehicles that will increase both safety and reliability, while reducing launch costs from $10,000 per pound to $1,000 per pound. March 14, 2001 NASA Photo / Carla Thomas
Date	03/14/2001

This NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station photograph of the X-5 was taken at the South Base of Edwards Air Force Base. The photograph portrays a left wing side view of the aircraft and also shows the pitot-static probe, used to measure airspeed, Mach number, and altitude, mounted on a noseboom protruding from the top of the aircraft's nose engine inlet. Also attached to the pitot-static probe portion of the noseboom are flow direction vanes for sensing the aircraft?s angles-of-attack and sideslip in flight.

X-5 on Ramp

Photo Description	This NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station photograph of the X-5 was taken at the South Base of Edwards Air Force Base. The photograph portrays a left wing side view of the aircraft and also shows the pitot-static probe, used to measure airspeed, Mach number, and altitude, mounted on a noseboom protruding from the top of the aircraft's nose engine inlet. Also attached to the pitot-static probe portion of the noseboom are flow direction vanes for sensing the aircraft?s angles-of-attack and sideslip in flight.
Project Description	The Bell, X-5 was flight tested at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (now the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) from 1952 to 1955. The X-5 was the first aircraft capable of sweeping its wings in flight. It helped provide data about wing-sweep at angles of up to 60 degrees at subsonic and transonic speeds. There were two X-5 vehicles. Ship 1 was flown at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (High-Speed Flight Station, as it was redesignated in 1954) from 1951 to 1955. Ship 2 was operated by Bell and the U.S. Air Force and was lost in a spin accident in 1953. Following the conclusion of the contractor?s test program, the X-5 was grounded for installation of a NACA instrument package. The Air Force conducted a short, six-flight, evaluation program. Since the Air Force evaluation program included data collection, it was considered as part of the overall NACA effort and flights were logged as AF/NACA. In the NACA test program, the X-5 demonstrated severe stall-spin instability. The X-5 was also used as a chase plane for other research aircraft because it could vary its flying characteristics to suit the airplane it was chasing. Ship 1 flew a total of 133 flights during its three years of service. In spite of the problems with the aircraft, the X-5 provided a significant full-scale verification of NACA wind-tunnel predictions for reduced drag and improved performance that resulted from this configuration?s increasing the wing sweep as the speed of the aircraft approached the speed of sound. The X-5 flight tests provided some of the design data for the Air Force F-111 and Navy F-14 tactical aircraft. Although the mechanism by which the X-5 changed its wing sweep made this particular design impractical, development of a viable variable-sweep aircraft had to await Langley Aeronautical Laboratory?s concept of an outboard wing pivot in the mid-1950s. (Langley was a NACA research laboratory in Hampton, Virginia.) The X-5 was a single seat aircraft powered by an Allison J-35-A-17A jet engine. It was 33.33 feet long with a wingspan of 20.9 feet (with the wings swept back at an angle of 60 degrees) to 33.5 feet (with the wings unswept). When fully fueled, the X-5 weighed 9,875 pounds.
Photo Date	1952

This NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station photograph of the X-5 was taken at the South Base of Edwards Air Force Base. The photograph, on the ramp in-front of the NACA hangar, shows a frontal view of the X-5 illustrating it's wing sweep capability. This view also provides a good view of the inlet and attached nose boom on the top.

X-5 on Ramp - Front View, Wi …

Photo Description	This NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station photograph of the X-5 was taken at the South Base of Edwards Air Force Base. The photograph, on the ramp in-front of the NACA hangar, shows a frontal view of the X-5 illustrating it's wing sweep capability. This view also provides a good view of the inlet and attached nose boom on the top.
Project Description	The Bell, X-5 was flight tested at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (now the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) from 1952 to 1955. The X-5 was the first aircraft capable of sweeping its wings in flight. It helped provide data about wing-sweep at angles of up to 60 degrees at subsonic and transonic speeds. There were two X-5 vehicles. Ship 1 was flown at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (High-Speed Flight Station, as it was redesignated in 1954) from 1951 to 1955. Ship 2 was operated by Bell and the U.S. Air Force and was lost in a spin accident in 1953. Following the conclusion of the contractor?s test program, the X-5 was grounded for installation of a NACA instrument package. The Air Force conducted a short, six-flight, evaluation program. Since the Air Force evaluation program included data collection, it was considered as part of the overall NACA effort and flights were logged as AF/NACA. In the NACA test program, the X-5 demonstrated severe stall-spin instability. The X-5 was also used as a chase plane for other research aircraft because it could vary its flying characteristics to suit the airplane it was chasing. Ship 1 flew a total of 133 flights during its three years of service. In spite of the problems with the aircraft, the X-5 provided a significant full-scale verification of NACA wind-tunnel predictions for reduced drag and improved performance that resulted from this configuration?s increasing the wing sweep as the speed of the aircraft approached the speed of sound. The X-5 flight tests provided some of the design data for the Air Force F-111 and Navy F-14 tactical aircraft. Although the mechanism by which the X-5 changed its wing sweep made this particular design impractical, development of a viable variable-sweep aircraft had to await Langley Aeronautical Laboratory?s concept of an outboard wing pivot in the mid-1950s. (Langley was a NACA research laboratory in Hampton, Virginia.) The X-5 was a single seat aircraft powered by an Allison J-35-A-17A jet engine. It was 33.33 feet long with a wingspan of 20.9 feet (with the wings swept back at an angle of 60 degrees) to 33.5 feet (with the wings unswept). When fully fueled, the X-5 weighed 9,875 pounds.
Photo Date	1952

Shuttle Carrier Aircraft

ED06-0202-001One of NASA's t …

10/28/2006

Description	ED06-0202-001One of NASA's two modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft is silhouetted against the morning sky at sunrise on the ramp at Edwards Air Force Base. October 28, 2006 NASA Photo / Tony Landis SCA Project Description
Date	10/28/2006

Shuttle Carrier Aircraft

ED06-0202-020A brief tour th …

10/28/2006

Description	ED06-0202-020A brief tour through NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft was a popular attraction at the Edwards Air Force Base open house Oct. 28-29, 2006. October 28, 2006 NASA Photo / Tony Landis SCA Project Description
Date	10/28/2006

Shuttle Carrier Aircraft

ED06-0202-076Crowds thronged …

10/28/2006

Description	ED06-0202-076Crowds thronged around NASA's modified 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and an Air Force B-1B Lancer at the Edwards Air Force Base open house Oct. 28-29, 2006. October 28,2006 NASA Photo / Tony Landis SCA Project Description
Date	10/28/2006

P-51 Mustang on Lakebed

Title	P-51 Mustang on Lakebed
Description	This photograph shows a NACA research pilot running up the engine of the F-51 Mustang on the taxiway adjacent to Rogers Dry Lake at the NACA High-Speed Flight Station in 1955. A P-51 Mustang, redesignated an F-51 Mustang, was transferred from the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory to the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (now the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center) at Edwards Air Force Base in California, in 1950. The P-51 Mustang was the first aircraft to employ the NACA laminar-flow airfoil design and could dive to around Mach number 0.8. As an F-51, it was used as a proficiency aircraft at the High Speed Flight Station. A North American P-51Mustang (the P meaning pursuit), redesignated as an F-51 Mustang (with the F standing for fighter), was transferred to the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (HSFRS), Edwards, California, from the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory, Hampton, Virginia, in 1950. This aircraft had been used in wing-flow research at Langley prior to its transfer. The NACA was the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, a predecessor of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The HSFRS was a predecessor of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, and Langley Aeronautical Laboratory became NASA's Langley Research Center. The P-51 was the first aircraft to employ the NACA laminar-flow airfoil design and could dive to a speed of roughly Mach 0.8. As an F-51 Fighter, instead of a P-51 pursuit aircraft, the aircraft was used as a proficiency aircraft at HSFRS. Records show that the aircraft was also used as a chase and support aircraft 395 times. Neil Armstrong was among the pilots using it to chase some of the X-planes (that is, provide safety support). The P-51 was retired in 1959 as the result of a taxiing mishap.
Date	01.01.1955

Shuttle Discovery, with recovery Vehicles, is to the Taxiway

Shuttle Discovery, with reco …

Space Shuttle Discovery, acc …

10/9/08

Description	Space Shuttle Discovery, accompanied by a convoy of recovery vehicles, is towed up the taxiway at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California, following its landing on August 9, 2005. Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California at 5:11:22 a.m. PDT this morning, following the very successful 14-day STS-114 return to flight mission. During their two weeks in space, Commander Eileen Collins and her six crewmates tested out new safety procedures and delivered supplies and equipment the International Space Station. Discovery spent two weeks in space, where the crew demonstrated new methods to inspect and repair the Shuttle in orbit. The crew also delivered supplies, outfitted and performed maintenance on the International Space Station. A number of these tasks were conducted during three spacewalks. August 9,2005 NASA /Photo Tom Tschida ED05-0166-11
Date	10/9/08

Automatic Collision Avoidanc …

ED09-0118-4 F-16D (ACAT) The …

7/27/09

Description	ED09-0118-4 F-16D (ACAT) The U.S. Air Force's F-16D Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology (ACAT) aircraft takes off from Edwards Air Force Base on a flight originating from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. NASA Dryden is working with the Air Force Research Laboratory in the ACAT Fighter Risk Reduction Project to develop collision avoidance technologies for fighter/attack aircraft that would reduce the risk of ground and mid-air collisions. June 2009 NASA photo/Tom Tschida
Date	7/27/09

Walter C. Williams (1919-199 …

Photo Date	24 Aug. 1954

X-48B

Boeing's sub-scale X-48B Ble …

7/3/08

Description	Boeing's sub-scale X-48B Blended Wing Body aircraft flies over the edge of Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards Air Force Base during its fifth flight on Aug. 14, 2007. August 14, 2007 NASA / Carla Thomas ED07-0192-06
Date	7/3/08

ER-2

One of NASA's two ER-2 Earth …

6/30/08

Description	One of NASA's two ER-2 Earth resources aircraft shows off its lines during a flyover at the Edwards Air Force Base open house Oct. 28-29, 2006. October 28, 2006 NASA Photo by Jim Ross ED06-0202-62
Date	6/30/08

ER-2

NASA'S ER-2 #806 lifts off f …

7/1/08

Description	NASA'S ER-2 #806 lifts off from Edwards Air Force Base on a CALIPSO and CloudSat validation instrument checkout flight. July 13, 2006 NASA Photo / Jim Ross ED06-0117-24
Date	7/1/08

Bohn-Meyer Math and Science …

Read Feature Paul Jones, sen …

2/12/09

Description	Read Feature Paul Jones, senior research chemist at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base and Krista Esse, a student at Lancaster's Amargosa Creek Middle School, get some hands-on experiment experience during the «É_Cowabunga Chemistry«É_ workshop at the 2009 Bohn-Meyer Math and Science Odyssey. February 6, 2009 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida ED09-0032-34
Date	2/12/09

Shuttle Columbia Touches Down on lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base.

Shuttle Columbia Touches Dow …

The Space Shuttle Columbia t …

10/9/08

Description	The Space Shuttle Columbia touches down on lakebed runway 23 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to conclude the first orbital shuttle mission. April 14, 1981 NASA / Photo ED06-0045-1
Date	10/9/08

STS-125

ED09-0127-01 Space Shuttle A …

5/24/09

Description	ED09-0127-01 Space Shuttle Atlantis touches down on Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base May 24 to conclude its almost 5.3-million-mile STS-125 mission to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. May 24, 2009 NASA Photo / Carla Thomas
Date	5/24/09

STS-125

ED09-0127-91 NASA 911, a Boe …

6/1/09

Description	ED09-0127-91 NASA 911, a Boeing 747 modified to carry the space shuttles, lifts off Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base carrying the shuttle Atlantis on its back on the first leg of Atlantis' ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. June 1, 2009 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida<br >
Date	6/1/09

STS-125

ED09-0127-90 Paced by a NASA …

6/4/09

Description	ED09-0127-90 Paced by a NASA F-18, one of NASA's modified Boeing 747 space shuttle carriers, lifts off Runway 22L at Edwards Air Force Base with the shuttle Atlantis on its back on the first leg of Atlantis' ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. June 1, 2009 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida
Date	6/4/09

STS-125

ED09-0127-92 NASA 911, one o …

6/4/09

Description	ED09-0127-92 NASA 911, one of NASA's two modified Boeing 747 space shuttle carriers, lifts off Runway 22L at Edwards Air Force Base with the shuttle Atlantis on its back on the first leg of Atlantis' ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. June 1, 2009 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida
Date	6/4/09

STS-125

ED09-0127-93 NASA 911, a Boe …

6/4/09

Description	ED09-0127-93 NASA 911, a Boeing 747 modified to carry the space shuttles, soars skyward off Runway 22L at Edwards Air Force Base with the shuttle Atlantis on its back on the first leg of Atlantis' ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. June 1, 2009 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida
Date	6/4/09

STS-125

ED09-0127-94 As media photog …

6/4/09

Description	ED09-0127-94 As media photographers record the moment, NASA shuttle carrier aircraft No. 911 lifts the Space Shuttle Atlantis into the morning sky upon departure from Edwards Air Force Base on the first leg of Atlantis' ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. June 1, 2009 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida
Date	6/4/09

STS-125

ED09-0127-95 NASA space shut …

6/4/09

Description	ED09-0127-95 NASA space shuttle carrier aircraft 911 lifts its nose wheel off the pavement during its takeoff roll on Runway 22L at Edwards Air Force Base to ferry the Space Shuttle Atlantis back to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. June 1, 2009 NASA Photo / Carla Thomas
Date	6/4/09

STS-125

ED09-0127-96 Eight days afte …

6/4/09

Description	ED09-0127-96 Eight days after its arrival on the same runway, Space Shuttle Atlantis is hauled aloft by NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft 911 off Runway 22L at Edwards Air Force Base on the first leg of its ferry flight back to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. June 1, 2009 NASA Photo / Carla Thomas
Date	6/4/09

STS-126

Moments after sunrise, the m …

12/10/08

Description	Moments after sunrise, the modified Boeing 747 carrier aircraft carrying the Space Shuttle Endeavour lifts off from Edwards Air Force Base on the first leg of its ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center on Dec. 10, 2008. &#8250, Read STS-126 Status Report December 10, 2008 NASA Photo / Tony Landis ED08-0306-112
Date	12/10/08

STS-126

The modified Boeing 747 carr …

12/10/08

Description	The modified Boeing 747 carrier aircraft carrying the Space Shuttle Endeavour soars aloft from Edwards Air Force Base on the first leg of its ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center just after sunrise on Dec. 10, 2008. &#8250, Read STS-126 Status Report December 10, 2008 NASA Photo / Jim Ross ED08-0306-113
Date	12/10/08

STS-126

The Space Shuttle Endeavour …

12/10/08

Description	The Space Shuttle Endeavour atop its modified Boeing 747 carrier aircraft lifts off from Edwards Air Force Base on the first leg of its ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center just after sunrise on Dec. 10, 2008. &#8250, Read STS-126 Status Report December 10, 2008 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida ED08-0306-114
Date	12/10/08

STS-128

ED09-0253-01 Streams of smok …

9/11/09

Description	ED09-0253-01 Streams of smoke trail from the main landing gear tires as Space Shuttle Discovery touches down on Runway 22L at Edwards Air Force Base to conclude the almost 14-day STS-128 mission to the International Space Station. September 11, 2009 NASA photo / Jim Ross
Date	9/11/09

STS-128

ED09-0253-02 Space Shuttle D …

9/11/09

Description	ED09-0253-02 Space Shuttle Discovery rolls out on Runway 22L after landing at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California's high desert to conclude mission STS-128 to the International Space Station. September 11, 2009 NASA photo / Tom Tschida
Date	9/11/09

STS-128

ED09-0253-03 Its nose still …

9/11/09

Description	ED09-0253-03 Its nose still high in the air, Space Shuttle Discovery rolls down Runway 22L at Edwards Air Force Base shortly before sunset on Sept. 11, 2009 and the end of mission STS-128. September 11, 2009 NASA photo / David Huskey / WSTF
Date	9/11/09

STS-128

ED09-0253-04 Trailing its dr …

9/11/09

Description	ED09-0253-04 Trailing its drag chute, Space Shuttle Discovery slows to a stop after landing at Edwards Air Force Base to conclude its almost 14-day, 5.7-million-mile journey to the International Space Station on mission STS-128. September 11, 2009 NASA photo / Tony Landis
Date	9/11/09

STS-128

ED09-0253-05 Members of the …

9/12/09

Description	ED09-0253-05 Members of the STS-128 mission crew are greeted by Air Force and NASA officials as they exit the Crew Transfer Vehicle following their landing of Space Shuttle Discovery at Edwards Air Force Base on Sept. 11, 2009. September 11, 2009 NASA photo / Tom Tschida
Date	9/12/09

STS-128

ED09-0253-07 The setting sun …

9/12/09

Description	ED09-0253-07 The setting sun provides a beautiful backdrop to Space Shuttle Discovery and the Crew Transport Vehicle after Discovery's landing at Edwards Air Force Base on Sept. 11, 2009. September 11, 2009 NASA photo / Tom Tschida
Date	9/12/09

STS-128

ED09-0253-08 Space Shuttle D …

9/12/09

Description	ED09-0253-08 Space Shuttle Discovery reflects the colorful clouds illuminated by the setting sun over California's high desert following its landing at Edwards Air Force Base on Sept. 11, 2009. September 11, 2009 NASA photo / Tony Landis
Date	9/12/09

On the Tarmac

Space shuttle Atlantis on to …

6/3/09

Description	Space shuttle Atlantis on top of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, is parked on the tarmac of NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. The SCA landed at Kennedy after a more than 2,500-mile cross-country ferry flight from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett July 2, 2009
Date	6/3/09

B-57B in-flight

Title	B-57B in-flight
Description	In this NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility photograph taken in 1982 the B-57B Canberra is shown making atmospheric measurements near a mountain range The Martin B-57B Canberra light bomber was used on several flight test programs at the NASA Flight Research Center and other NASA Centers. The two-seated aircraft was powered by two J56-W-5 turbojet engines. The atmospheric part of the research program provided information on mountain waves, jet streams, convective turbulence, and atmospheric contaminants. In the early 1970s, a Martin B-57B Canberra light bomber was used in several NASA joint flight test programs at the NASA Flight Research Center (now Dryden Flight Research Center) located at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The early 1970s showed a growing interest in continuing atmospheric research. The B-57B was at the NASA Flight Research Center for a joint program with NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia and was having a special set of instrumentation installed. Delays in completing the instruments provided an opportunity to support the NASA space program. The B-57B was used in proof-of-concept testing of the Viking Mars landers. The deceleration drop testing part of the program took place at the Joint Parachute Test Facility, El Centro, California. With completion of the Viking parachute tests, the B-57B was flown for measuring and analysis of atmospheric turbulence research in 1974-75 as part of a joint NASA program between the Flight Research Center and Langley Research Center. Additional atmospheric testing provided samples of aerosols for the University of Wyoming and clear-air turbulence data for the Department of Transportation. The aircraft was tested over a span of many years at Edwards Air Force Base by various NASA centers for other types of research. Earlier, in the 1960s, the aircraft was flown at the Flight Research Center by the Lewis Research Center (now the John Glenn Research Center) in support of the newly established NASA Electronics Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Later, in 1982, the B-57B aircraft returned to the Flight Research Center (then the Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility) for more Langley-sponsored turbulence testing. The atmospheric research conducted using the B-57B Canberra provided information on mountain waves, jet streams, convective turbulence, and clear-air turbulence.
Date	01.01.1982

KC-135 on ramp

Title	KC-135 on ramp
Description	The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, besides being used extensively in its primary role as an inflight aircraft refueler, has assisted in several projects at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. In 1957 and 1958, Dryden was asked by what was then the Civil Aeronautics Administration (later absorbed into the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 1958) to help establish new approach procedure guidelines on cloud-ceiling and visibility minimums for Boeing's first jet airliner, the B-707. Dryden used a KC-135 (the military variant of the 707), seen here on the runway at Edwards Air Force Base, to aid the CAA in these tests. In 1979 and 1980, Dryden was again involved with general aviation research with the KC-135. This time, a special wingtip "winglet", developed by Richard Whitcomb of Langley Research Center, was tested on the jet aircraft. Winglets are small, nearly vertical fins installed on an airplane's wing tips to help produce a forward thrust in the vortices that typically swirl off the end of the wing, thereby reducing drag. This winglet idea was tested at the Dryden Flight Research Center on a KC-135A tanker loaned to NASA by the Air Force. The research showed that the winglets could increase an aircraft's range by as much as 7 percent at cruise speeds. The first application of NASA's winglet technology in industry was in general aviation business jets, but winglets are now being incorporated into most new commercial and military transport jets, including the Gulfstream III and IV business jets, the Boeing 747-400 and MD-11 airliners, and the C-17 military transport. In the 1980's, a KC-135 was used in support of the Space Shuttle program. Since the Shuttle was to be launched from Florida, researchers wanted to test the effect of rain on the sensitive thermal tiles. Tiles were mounted on special fixtures on an F-104 aircraft and a P-3 Orion. The F-104 was flown in actual rain conditions, and also behind the KC-135 spray tanker as it released water. The KC-135, however, proved incapable of simulating enough rain impact damage and was dropped from the tests.
Date	01.01.1958

F-15B #837

Read News Release 09-04 With …

2/17/09

Description	Read News Release 09-04 With its afterburners roaring, NASA research pilot Jim Smolka pulls NASA's highly modified NF-15B research aircraft into a steep climb after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base on its final flight. Built in 1973 as the first two-seat TF-15, the canard-equipped aircraft with its brilliant red, white and blue plumage has been flown in several significant research and test programs for the U.S. Air Force, McDonnell Douglas and NASA over its almost 36ÔøΩÔøΩ_ÔøΩ__year lifetime, the last 14 years with NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. January 30, 2009 NASA Photo / Tony Landis ED09-0023-33
Date	2/17/09

NASA's Crew Transport Vehicle Pulls Up to the Shuttle Discovery.

NASA's Crew Transport Vehicl …

10/9/08

Description	NASA's Crew Transport Vehicle, or CTV, pulls up to the Space Shuttle Discovery to offload the crew after a successful landing August 9, 2005 at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The landing marked the end of the STS-114 mission. Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California at 5:11:22 a.m. PDT this morning, following the very successful 14-day STS-114 return to flight mission. During their two weeks in space, Commander Eileen Collins and her six crewmates tested out new safety procedures and delivered supplies and equipment the International Space Station. August 9, 2005 NASA / Photo Carla Thomas ED05-0166-05
Date	10/9/08

Shuttle Discovery Rests on the Runway at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

Shuttle Discovery Rests on t …

The sun rises on the Space S …

10/9/08

Description	The sun rises on the Space Shuttle Discovery as it rests on the runway at Edwards Air Force Base, California, after a safe landing August 9, 2005 to complete the STS-114 mission. Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California at 5:11:22 a.m. PDT this morning, following the very successful 14-day STS-114 return to flight mission. During their two weeks in space, Commander Eileen Collins and her six crewmates tested out new safety procedures and delivered supplies and equipment the International Space Station. August 9, 2005 NASA / Photo Carla Thomas ED05-0166-06
Date	10/9/08

Shuttle Discovery on the Runway at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

Shuttle Discovery on the Run …

The sun rises on the Space S …

10/9/08

Description	The sun rises on the Space Shuttle Discovery as it rests on the runway at Edwards Air Force Base, California, after a safe landing August 9, 2005 to complete the STS-114 mission. Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California at 5:11:22 a.m. PDT this morning, following the very successful 14-day STS-114 return to flight mission. During their two weeks in space, Commander Eileen Collins and her six crewmates tested out new safety procedures and delivered supplies and equipment the International Space Station. Discovery spent two weeks in space, where the crew demonstrated new methods to inspect and repair the Shuttle in orbit. The crew also delivered supplies, outfitted and performed maintenance on the International Space Station. A number of these tasks were conducted during three spacewalks. August 9, 2005 NASA / Photo Carla Thomasa ED05-0166-07
Date	10/9/08

C-17 with Orion CM Aboard Ta …

ED09-0234-05 An Air Force C- …

8/19/09

Description	ED09-0234-05 An Air Force C-17 operated by the Mississippi Air National Guard lifts off Runway 22L at Edwards Air Force Base in California, carrying the Orion flight test crew module from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center to the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The Orion module is slated to be used for the first Orion Launch Abort System pad abort flight test at White Sands in early 2010. August 19, 2009 NASA Photo / Tony Landis
Date	8/19/09

C-17 with Orion CM Aboard Ta …

ED09-0234-12 An Air Force C- …

8/19/09

Description	ED09-0234-12 An Air Force C-17 operated by the Mississippi Air National Guard climbs into the summer sky from Edwards Air Force Base in California, carrying the Orion flight test crew module that is targeted for the first Orion Launch Abort System pad abort flight test at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico in early 2010. Installation and integration of flight test instrumentation in the module had occurred over a 16-month period in 1008-2009 at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center prior to transfer of the module to White Sands. August 19, 2009 NASA Photo / Tony Landis
Date	8/19/09

STS-128

ED09-0253-09 Members of the …

9/12/09

Description	ED09-0253-09 Members of the STS-128 mission crew line up behind Space Shuttle Discovery in front of the Mate DeMate Device at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center prior to their departure. From left are Jose Hernandez, Kevin Ford, Christer Fuglesang, Rick Sturckow, Danny Olivas and Patrick Forrester. Not pictured- Tim Kopra). Discovery had landed the preceding evening at Edwards Air Force Base after an almost 14-day mission to the International Space Station. September 12, 2009 NASA photo / Jim Ross
Date	9/12/09

The X-38, a research vehicle built to help develop technology for an emergency Crew Return Vehicle from the International Space Station, is seen just before touchdown on a lakebed near the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards California, at the end of a March 2000 test flight.

The X-38 Second Prototype Fl …

Photo Description	The X-38, a research vehicle built to help develop technology for an emergency Crew Return Vehicle from the International Space Station, is seen just before touchdown on a lakebed near the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards California, at the end of a March 2000 test flight.
Project Description	The X-38 Crew Return Vehicle (CRV) research project is designed to develop the technology for a prototype emergency crew return vehicle, or lifeboat, for the International Space Station. The project is also intended to develop a crew return vehicle design that could be modified for other uses, such as a joint U.S. and international human spacecraft that could be launched on the French Ariane-5 Booster. The X-38 project is using available technology and off-the-shelf equipment to significantly decrease development costs. Original estimates to develop a capsule-type crew return vehicle were estimated at more than $2 billion. X-38 project officials have estimated that development costs for the X-38 concept will be approximately one quarter of the original estimate. Off-the-shelf technology is not necessarily "old" technology. Many of the technologies being used in the X-38 project have never before been applied to a human-flight spacecraft. For example, the X-38 flight computer is commercial equipment currently used in aircraft and the flight software operating system is a commercial system already in use in many aerospace applications. The video equipment for the X-38 is existing equipment, some of which has already flown on the space shuttle for previous NASA experiments. The X-38's primary navigational equipment, the Inertial Navigation System/Global Positioning System, is a unit already in use on Navy fighters. The X-38 electromechanical actuators come from previous joint NASA, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Navy research and development projects. Finally, an existing special coating developed by NASA will be used on the X-38 thermal tiles to make them more durable than those used on the space shuttles. The X-38 itself was an unpiloted lifting body designed at 80 percent of the size of a projected emergency crew return vehicle for the International Space Station, although two later versions were planned at 100 percent of the CRV size. The X-38 and the actual CRV are patterned after a lifting-body shape first employed in the Air Force-NASA X-24 lifting-body project in the early to mid-1970s. The current vehicle design is base lined with life support supplies for about nine hours of orbital free flight from the space station. ItÕs landing will be fully automated with backup systems which allow the crew to control orientation in orbit, select a deorbit site, and steer the parafoil, if necessary. The X-38 vehicles (designated V131, V132, and V-131R) are 28.5 feet long, 14.5 feet wide, and weigh approximately 16,000 pounds on average. The vehicles have a nitrogen-gas-operated attitude control system and a bank of batteries for internal power. The actual CRV to be flown in space was expected to be 30 feet long. The X-38 project is a joint effort between the Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas (JSC), Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia (LaRC) and Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California (DFRC) with the program office located at JSC. A, contract was awarded to Scaled Composites, Inc., Mojave, California, for construction of the X-38 test airframes. The first vehicle was delivered to the JSC in September 1996. The vehicle was fitted with avionics, computer systems and other hardware at Johnson. A second vehicle was delivered to JSC in December 1996. Flight research with the X-38 at Dryden began with an unpiloted captive-carry flight in which the vehicle remained attached to its future launch vehicle, DrydenÕs B-52 008. There were four captive flights in 1997 and three in 1998, plus the first drop test on March 12, 1998, using the parachutes and parafoil. Further captive and drop tests occurred in 1999. In March 2000 Vehicle 132 completed its third and final free flight in the highest, fastest, and longest X-38 flight to date. It was released at an altitude of 39,000 feet and flew freely for 45 seconds, reaching a speed of over 500 miles per hour before deploying its parachutes for a landing on Rogers Dry Lakebed. In the drop tests, the X-38 vehicles have been autonomous after airlaunch from the B-52. After they deploy the parafoil, they have remained autonomous, but there is also a manual mode with controls from the ground.
Photo Date	March 2000

G-III

Project Description NASA's m …

6/24/08

Description	Project Description NASA's modified Gulfstream G-III aircraft provides a platform to test and evaluate a variety of new technologies, and can also be used to gather scientific data for geological studies or earthquake prediction. The G-III airframe has been structurally modified to incorporate a MAU-12 ejector rack on the bottom of the fuselage on which a variety of experiments can be mounted. As a Multi-Role Cooperative Research Platform, the heavily instrumented twin-turbofan aircraft provides long-term capability for efficient testing of subsonic flight experiments for NASA, the U.S. Air Force, other government agencies, academia, and private industry. Originally designated a C-20A by the Air Force, the aircraft was declared excess by that service and transferred to NASA Dryden at Edwards AFB, Calif., in September 2002. Unmanned Air Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) The Unmanned Air Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) is an Earth Science Capabilities Demonstration project jointly developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in which a synthetic aperture radar is being flight-validated on a Grumman Gulfstream G-III in a specially designed pod that will be interoperable with both manned and unmanned aircraft. The modified G-III provides a platform to not only test and evaluate the new radar, but can also be used to gather scientific data for geological studies on earthquake prediction. In order to support the installation of the UAVSAR pod, the G-III airframe has been structurally modified to incorporate a MAU-12 ejector rack on the bottom of the fuselage. This unique G-III modification will remain available for use by future research projects. As a Multi-Role Cooperative Research Platform, the heavily instrumented twin-turbofan aircraft provides long-term capability for efficient testing of subsonic flight experiments for NASA, the U.S. Air Force, other government agencies, academia, and private industry. Originally designated a C-20A by the Air Force, the aircraft was declared excess by that service and transferred to NASA Dryden at Edwards AFB, Calif., in September 2002. The joint use of this aircraft is a result of the NASA Dryden/Edwards Air Force Base Alliance, which shares some resources as cost-cutting measures. Photo Description NASA's Gulfstream-III research testbed lifts off the Edwards AFB runway on an envelope-expansion flight test with the UAV synthetic aperture radar pod. February 26, 2007 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida ED07-0027-39
Date	6/24/08

F-15B #836 Research Testbed

Project Description NASA's D …

9/23/08

Description	Project Description NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California, conducted a series of flights with the center's F-15B Research Testbed aircraft in support of Space Shuttle Return-to-Flight engineering efforts. The Shuttle Return to Flight team requested data on the structural survivability of external tank insulating foam debris or "divots" that are shed from the tank during a Shuttle launch. The Lifting Insulating Foam Trajectory (LIFT) flight test series used NASA's F-15B to test these ÔøΩÔøΩ_ÔøΩ__divotsÔøΩÔøΩ_ÔøΩ__ in a real flight environment at speeds up to about Mach 2. Small-scale divoting, commonly called popcorning, results from adhesive strength failure of external tank thermal protection system (TPS) foam brought about by decreasing atmospheric pressure combined with increased heating during Shuttle ascent. According to LIFT project manager Stephen Corda, objectives of the flight tests on the F-15B included determining divot structural survivability in a flight environment, assessing divot stability, quantifying divot trajectories using videography, and providing flight verification of debris tracking systems to be used for Shuttle launches. "We're using the unique capabilities of the supersonic F-15B aircraft and the aerodynamic flight test fixture to provide a means to eject these debris or divots from the fixture, and then photograph them with a high speed digital video system, where we're able to video these divots in flight at up to 10,000 frames per second," Corda noted. The debris tracking systems were verified using the F-15B as a surrogate Space Shuttle while the aircraft ejects TPS foam divots. These tracking systems included a Weibel Doppler radar and a high-definition video system aboard a NASA WB-57 aircraft. NASA' s Space Shuttle Systems Engineering and Integration office at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas, funded the LIFT flight tests at NASA Dryden as part of the STS-114 Return-to-Flight effort. JSC aeroscience engineer Ricardo Machin said the current LIFT flight tests will help them validate the models that they use for debris transport analysis. "In particular, it's going to help us understand whether the divots break up once they come off the external tank, and secondly whether they will trim and begin to fly, or if they'll tumble. The difference between trimming and flying makes a huge difference ÔøΩÔøΩ_ÔøΩ__ the amount of kinetic energy that this piece of debris can impart to the shuttle," Machin said. The LIFT flight test requires two new capabilities: an in-flight foam divot ejection system, and a high-speed video system to track and record the trajectories of the divots in flight. Both capabilities were developed by Dryden engineers. Dryden's LIFT team designed, fabricated, and ground-tested four different divot ejection systems, completing 70 ground tests to determine and refine the best approach. NASA Dryden engineers designed and procured the very high-speed digital video equipment, including development of a system to synchronize the cameras with the divot ejection system. In addition, they developed videography analysis techniques in order to quantify divot trajectories. The Dryden team completed the design and ground tests of these systems over a compact 2 1/2-month period. Photo Description A close-up of the panels on the F-15B's flight test fixture shows five divots of TPS foam were successfully ejected during the LIFT experiment. February 16, 2005 Nasa Photo / Tony Landis EC05-0030-03
Date	9/23/08

B-57B in flight

Title	B-57B in flight
Description	This is a photograph of the Martin B-57 Canberra light bomber in flight. The aircraft has a bare-metal finish. The "V" insignia is from its use in the Viking Mars Lander parachute test program. In the early 1970s, a Martin B-57B Canberra light bomber was used in several NASA joint flight test programs at the NASA Flight Research Center (now Dryden Flight Research Center) located at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The early 1970s showed a growing interest in continuing atmospheric research. The B-57B was at the NASA Flight Research Center for a joint program with NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia and was having a special set of instrumentation installed. Delays in completing the instruments provided an opportunity to support the NASA space program. The B-57B was used in proof-of-concept testing of the Viking Mars landers. The deceleration drop testing part of the program took place at the Joint Parachute Test Facility, El Centro, California. With completion of the Viking parachute tests, the B-57B was flown for measuring and analysis of atmospheric turbulence research in 1974-75 as part of a joint NASA program between the Flight Research Center and Langley Research Center. Additional atmospheric testing provided samples of aerosols for the University of Wyoming and clear-air turbulence data for the Department of Transportation. The aircraft was tested over a span of many years at Edwards Air Force Base by various NASA centers for other types of research. Earlier, in the 1960s, the aircraft was flown at the Flight Research Center by the Lewis Research Center (now the John Glenn Research Center) in support of the newly established NASA Electronics Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Later, in 1982, the B-57B aircraft returned to the Flight Research Center (then the Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility) for more Langley-sponsored turbulence testing. The atmospheric research conducted using the B-57B Canberra provided information on mountain waves, jet streams, convective turbulence, and clear-air turbulence.
Date	01.01.1971

F-15B #837 Final Flight

Read News Release 09-04 With …

2/17/09

Description	Read News Release 09-04 With afterburners roaring, NASA's highly modified NF-15B Eagle research aircraft lifts off the Edwards Air Force Base runway on its final flight. The first two-seat F-15 built by McDonnell Douglas in 1973, the canard-equipped converted jet fighter served as a test platform throughout its 36-year career for the U.S. Air Force, McDonnell Douglas and NASA. January 30, 2009 NASA Photo / Tony Landis ED09-0023-24
Date	2/17/09

F-15B #837 Final Flight

Read News Release 09-04 With …

2/17/09

Description	Read News Release 09-04 With afterburners blazing, NASA's unique NF-15B research aircraft accelerates rapidly after taking off on its final flight from Edwards Air Force Base. The highly modified jet in its brilliant red, white and blue plumage was the test aircraft for several research projects during its 14 years with NASA, among them the Advanced Control Technology for Integrated Vehicles and Intelligent Flight Controls System research efforts. January 30, 2009 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida ED09-0023-28
Date	2/17/09

F-15B #837 Final Flight

Read News Release 09-04 NASA …

2/17/09

Description	Read News Release 09-04 NASA research pilot Jim Smolka brings NF-15B No. 837 down onto the Edwards Air Force Base runway after the aircraft's final flight. Smolka flew many of the 251 missions flown by the unique aircraft in a variety of research projects during its 14-year NASA career, and was instrumental in bringing the craft to NASA after its lengthy tenure as a research and developmental test aircraft for the U.S. Air Force and McDonnell Douglas. January 30, 2009 NASA Photo / Tony Landis ED09-0023-40
Date	2/17/09

Ikhana

NASA Aircraft Aiding Souther …

7/9/08

Description	NASA Aircraft Aiding Southern California Firefighting EffortRelease: 07-57 In response to a request from the California Office of Emergency Services and the National Interagency Fire Center, NASA is flying an aircraft equipped with sophisticated infrared imaging equipment today to assist firefighters battling several of the Southern California wildfires. The Ikhana unmanned aircraft system, a Predator B modified for civil science and research missions, was launched about 8:45 a.m. PDT from its base at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base. It is expected to fly over the major blazes burning in the Lake Arrowhead and Running Springs areas and possibly down into San Diego County to image wildfires raging in that area. The aircraft is controlled remotely by pilots in a ground control station at NASA Dryden. The Ikhana is carrying the Autonomous Modular Scanner, a thermal-infrared imaging system developed at NASA's Ames Research Center in Northern California. The system is capable of peering through heavy smoke and darkness to see hot spots, flames and temperature differences, processing the imagery on-board, and then transmitting that information in near real time so it can aid fire incident commanders in allocating their firefighting resources...Read more Photo Description: With smoke from the Lake Arrowhead, CA area fires streaming in the background, NASA's Ikhana unmanned aircraft heads out on a wildfire imaging mission. October 24, 2007 NASA Photo / Jim Ross ED07-0243-37
Date	7/9/08

The X-38 technology demonstrator descends under its steerable parafoil toward a lakebed landing in a March 2000 test flight.

The X-38 Second Prototype Gl …

Photo Description	The X-38 technology demonstrator descends under its steerable parafoil toward a lakebed landing in a March 2000 test flight.
Project Description	The X-38 Crew Return Vehicle (CRV) research project is designed to develop the technology for a prototype emergency crew return vehicle, or lifeboat, for the International Space Station. The project is also intended to develop a crew return vehicle design that could be modified for other uses, such as a joint U.S. and international human spacecraft that could be launched on the French Ariane-5 Booster. The X-38 project is using available technology and off-the-shelf equipment to significantly decrease development costs. Original estimates to develop a capsule-type crew return vehicle were estimated at more than $2 billion. X-38 project officials have estimated that development costs for the X-38 concept will be approximately one quarter of the original estimate. Off-the-shelf technology is not necessarily "old" technology. Many of the technologies being used in the X-38 project have never before been applied to a human-flight spacecraft. For example, the X-38 flight computer is commercial equipment currently used in aircraft and the flight software operating system is a commercial system already in use in many aerospace applications. The video equipment for the X-38 is existing equipment, some of which has already flown on the space shuttle for previous NASA experiments. The X-38's primary navigational equipment, the Inertial Navigation System/Global Positioning System, is a unit already in use on Navy fighters. The X-38 electromechanical actuators come from previous joint NASA, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Navy research and development projects. Finally, an existing special coating developed by NASA will be used on the X-38 thermal tiles to make them more durable than those used on the space shuttles. The X-38 itself was an unpiloted lifting body designed at 80 percent of the size of a projected emergency crew return vehicle for the International Space Station, although two later versions were planned at 100 percent of the CRV size. The X-38 and the actual CRV are patterned after a lifting-body shape first employed in the Air Force-NASA X-24 lifting-body project in the early to mid-1970s. The current vehicle design is base lined with life support supplies for about nine hours of orbital free flight from the space station. ItÕs landing will be fully automated with backup systems which allow the crew to control orientation in orbit, select a deorbit site, and steer the parafoil, if necessary. The X-38 vehicles (designated V131, V132, and V-131R) are 28.5 feet long, 14.5 feet wide, and weigh approximately 16,000 pounds on average. The vehicles have a nitrogen-gas-operated attitude control system and a bank of batteries for internal power. The actual CRV to be flown in space was expected to be 30 feet long. The X-38 project is a joint effort between the Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas (JSC), Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia (LaRC) and Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California (DFRC) with the program office located at JSC. A, contract was awarded to Scaled Composites, Inc., Mojave, California, for construction of the X-38 test airframes. The first vehicle was delivered to the JSC in September 1996. The vehicle was fitted with avionics, computer systems and other hardware at Johnson. A second vehicle was delivered to JSC in December 1996. Flight research with the X-38 at Dryden began with an unpiloted captive-carry flight in which the vehicle remained attached to its future launch vehicle, DrydenÕs B-52 008. There were four captive flights in 1997 and three in 1998, plus the first drop test on March 12, 1998, using the parachutes and parafoil. Further captive and drop tests occurred in 1999. In March 2000 Vehicle 132 completed its third and final free flight in the highest, fastest, and longest X-38 flight to date. It was released at an altitude of 39,000 feet and flew freely for 45 seconds, reaching a speed of over 500 miles per hour before deploying its parachutes for a landing on Rogers Dry Lakebed. In the drop tests, the X-38 vehicles have been autonomous after airlaunch from the B-52. After they deploy the parafoil, they have remained autonomous, but there is also a manual mode with controls from the ground.
Photo Date	March 2000

A restored NACA P-51 Mustang …

Title	A restored NACA P-51 Mustang in flight
Description	Bill Allmon of Las Vegas, Nevada, brought his restored NACA P-51 to a reunion of former NACA employees at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center located at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on Sept. 15, 2000. Allmon's award-winning restoration is a genuine former NACA testbed that saw service at the Langley Research Center in Virginia in the late 1940s. Later this Mustang was put on outdoor static display as an Air national Guard monument in Pittsburgh, Pa., where exposure to the elements ravaged its metal structure, necessitating an extensive four-year rebuild.
Date	09.15.2000

NACA Aircraft on Lakebed-X-3 …

Title	NACA Aircraft on Lakebed-X-3, D-558-1, XF4D, D-558-2
Description	A group picture of Douglas Airplanes, taken for a photographic promotion in 1954, at what is now known as the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The photo includes the X-3 (in front--Air Force serial number 49-2892) then clockwise D-558-1, XF4D-1 (a Navy jet fighter prototype not flown by the NACA), and the first D-558-2 (NACA tail number 143, Navy serial number 37973), which was flown only once by the NACA. The Dryden Flight Research Center, NASA's premier installation for aeronautical flight research, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1996. Dryden is the "Center of Excellence" for atmospheric flight operations. The Center's charter is to research, develop, verify, and transfer advanced aeronautics, space, and related technologies. It is located at Edwards, Calif., on the western edge of the Mojave Desert, 80 miles north of Los Angeles. Dryden's history dates back to the early fall of 1946, when a group of five aeronautical engineers arrived at what is now Edwards from the NACA's Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, Hampton, Va. Their goal was to prepare for the X-l supersonic research flights in a joint NACA-U.S. Army Air Forces-Bell Aircraft Corp. program. NACA--the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics--was the predecessor of today's NASA. Since the days of the X-l, the first aircraft to fly faster than the speed of sound, the installation has grown in size and significance and is associated with many important developments in aviation -- supersonic and hypersonic flight, wingless lifting bodies, digital fly-by-wire, supercritical and forward-swept wings, and the space shuttles. Its name has changed many times over the years. From 14 November 1949 to 1 July 1954 it bore the name NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station. From 1 July 1954 until 1 October 1958 it was called the NACA High-Speed Flight Station, with Research removed from its name but not its mission.
Date	01.01.1954

Lifting Body Aircraft

A fleet of lifting-body rese …

1/5/09

Description	A fleet of lifting-body research vehicles were flown at Dryden from 1963 to 1975 to validate the concept of flying a wingless craft back to Earth from space and landing it like a conventional aircraft at a pre-determined site. Aerodynamic lift - essential to flight in the atmosphere - was obtained from the shape of the vehicles rather than from wings, as on a normal aircraft. In 1962, Flight Research Center director Paul Bikle approved a program to build a lightweight, unpowered lifting body as a prototype to test the wingless concept. The M2-F1's half-cone shape looked like a "flying bathtub" and featured a plywood shell over a tubular steel frame. Initially towed aloft by a Pontiac convertible driven at speeds up to 120 mph across Rogers Dry Lake, the vehicle was later towed behind a C-47 and released for glide flights from greater altitudes. More than 400 ground tows and 77 aircraft tow flights were carried out with the M2-F1 before it was retired. A historical artifact now owned by the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum, the M2-F1 is on long-term loan to Dryden for display purposes. The success of the M2-F1 program led to development and construction of two heavyweight lifting bodies, the M2-F2 and the HL-10, that were carried to launch altitude beneath the wing of a modified B-52 and launched to complete rocket-powered flight profiles followed by a glide landing on the dry lakebed. The first flight of the M2-F2 (which looked much like the M2-F1) took place on July 12, 1966. On May 10, 1967, during the 16th flight, a landing accident severely damaged the vehicle and seriously injured NASA research pilot Bruce Peterson. It was subsequently rebuilt with modifications for improved control characteristics and re-designated M2-F3. During more than two-dozen flights, the M2-F3 reached a top speed of 1,064 mph (Mach 1.6) and a maximum altitude of 71,500 feet. It is now on display in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. The HL-10 had a more streamlined aerodynamic shape than did the M2-series vehicles. It featured a longitudinally curved bottom and a laterally rounded top and had a delta planform. Following its maiden flight on Dec. 22, 1966, it set several program records, including the fastest speed reached by any of the lifting bodies - 1,228 mph (Mach 1.86) - and highest lifting body flight - 90,303 feet. Data from these flights contributed substantially to development of the space shuttles. The HL-10 is now on public display at the entrance to Dryden. In 1969 another shape, the bulbous X-24A, was introduced. It was flown 28 times, providing data that helped engineers to design a prototype Crew Return Vehicle some three decades later. The X-24A was later modified into a new configuration, the X-24B - nicknamed the "flying flatiron" - with a rounded top, flat bottom and a double-delta planform that ended in a pointed nose. To reduce the costs of constructing a new research vehicle, the new shape was built as a shell around the original X-24A vehicle. Significantly, it was used for two landings on the main concrete runway at Edwards Air Force Base, demonstrating that accurate unpowered re-entry vehicle landings were operationally feasible. Following its retirement in 1975, the X-24B was placed on display in the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Photo Description The X-24B is seen in flight over the high desert. NASA Photo
Date	1/5/09

Hyper III on ramp

Title	Hyper III on ramp
Description	The Hyper III was a full-scale lifting-body remotely piloted research vehicle (RPRV) built at what was then the NASA Flight Research Center located at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California. The Flight Research Center (FRC--as Dryden was named from 1959 until 1976) already had experience with testing small-scale aircraft using model-airplane techniques, but the first true remotely piloted research vehicle was the Hyper III, which flew only once in December 1969. At that time, the Center was engaged in flight research with a variety of reentry shapes called lifting bodies, and there was a desire both to expand the flight research experience with maneuverable reentry vehicles, including a high-performance, variable-geometry craft, and to investigate a remotely piloted flight research technique that made maximum use of a research pilot's skill and experience by placing him "in the loop" as if he were in the cockpit. (There have been, as yet, no female research pilots assigned to Dryden.) The Hyper III as originally conceived was a stiletto-shaped lifting body that had resulted from a study at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. It was one of a number of hypersonic, cross-range reentry vehicles studied at Langley. (Hypersonic means Mach 5--five times the speed of sound--or faster, cross-range means able to fly a considerable distance to the left or right of the initial reentry path.) The FRC added a small, deployable, skewed wing to compensate for the shape's extremely low glide ratio. Shop personnel built the 32-foot-long Hyper III and covered its tubular frame with dacron, aluminum, and fiberglass, for about $6,500. Hyper III employed the same "8-ball" attitude indicator developed for control-room use when flying the X-15, two model-airplane receivers to command the vehicle's hydraulic controls, and a telemetry system (surplus from the X-15 program) to transmit 12 channels of data to the ground not only for display and control but for data analysis. Dropped from a helicopter at 10,000 feet, Hyper III flew under the control of research pilot Milt Thompson to a near landing using instruments for control. When the vehicle was close to the ground, he handed the vehicle off to experienced model pilot Dick Fischer for a visual landing using standard controls. The flight demonstrated the feasibility of remotely piloting research vehicles and, among other things, that control of the vehicle in roll was much better than predicted and that the vehicle had a much lower lift-to-drag ratio than predicted (a maximum of 4.0 rather than 5.0). Pilot Milt Thompson exhibited some suprising reactions during the Hyper III flight, he behaved as if he were in the cockpit of an actual research aircraft.""I was really stimulated emotionally and physically in exactly the same manner that I have been during actual first flights.""Flying the Hyper III from a ground cockpit was just as dramatic as an actual flight in any of the other, vehicles....responsibility rather than fear of personal safety is the real emotional driver. I have never come out of a simulator emtionally and physically tired as is often the case after a test flight in a research aircraft. I was emotionally and physically tired after a 3-minute flight of the Hyper III.""
Date	01.01.1969

X-38

One of NASA's three X-38 Cre …

11/4/09

Description	One of NASA's three X-38 Crew Return Vehicle technology demonstrators that flew at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., a decade ago has found a new home in America's heartland. In this image from test flights in 1999, the X-38 research vehicle drops away from NASA's B-52 mothership immediately after being released from the B-52's wing pylon. More than 30 years earlier, this same B-52 launched the original lifting-body vehicles flight tested by NASA and the Air Force at what is now called the Dryden Flight Research Center and the Air Force Flight Test Center. The wingless lifting body craft was transferred this past weekend from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston to the Strategic Air and Space Museum, located just off Interstate 80 at Ashland, Neb., about 20 miles southeast of Omaha. The X-38 adds to the museum's growing collection of aerospace vehicles and other historical artifacts. The move of the second X-38 built to the museum has a fitting connection, as the X-38 vehicles were air-launched from NASA's famous B-52B 008 mothership. The B-52 bomber served as the backbone of the Air Force's Strategic Air Command during the command's history. Prior to cancellation, the X-38 program was developing the technology for proposed vehicles that could return up to seven International Space Station crewmembers to Earth in case of an emergency. These vehicles would have been carried to the space station in the cargo bay of a space shuttle and attached to station docking ports. If an emergency arose that forced the ISS crew to leave the space station, a Crew Return Vehicle would have undocked and returned them to Earth much like the space shuttle, although the vehicle would have deployed a parafoil for the final descent and landing. Photo Credit: NASA/Carla Thomas
Date	11/4/09

Preparing for the Voyage Hom …

Members of the STS-128 missi …

9/14/09

Description	Members of the STS-128 mission crew line up behind Space Shuttle Discovery and the Mate DeMate Device at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center prior to their departure. From left are Jose Hernandez, Kevin Ford, Christer Fuglesang, Rick Sturckow, Danny Olivas and Patrick Forrester. Discovery landed Sept. 11, 2009, at Edwards Air Force Base after an almost 14-day mission to the International Space Station. Image Credit: NASA/Jim Ross
Date	9/14/09

C-47 in Flight

Title	C-47 in Flight
Description	NASA Flight Research Center's Douglas R4D-5/C-47H (Bu. No. 17136) in flight, with its landing gear extended, in 1963. The R4D Skytrain was one of the early workhorses for NACA and NASA at Edwards Air Force Base, California, from 1952 to 1984. Designated the R4D by the U.S. Navy, the aircraft was called the C-47 by the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force and the DC-3 by its builder, Douglas Aircraft. Nearly everyone called it the "Gooney Bird." In 1962, Congress consolidated the military-service designations and called all of them the C-47. After that date, the R4D at NASA's Flight Research Center (itself redesignated the Dryden Flight Research Center in 1976) was properly called a C-47. Over the 32 years it was used at Edwards, three different R4D/C-47s were used to shuttle personnel and equipment between NACA/NASA Centers and test locations throughout the country and for other purposes. One purpose was landing on "dry" lakebeds used as alternate landing sites for the X-15, to determine whether their surfaces were hard (dry) enough for the X-15 to land on in case an emergency occurred after its launch and before it could reach Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards Air Force Base. The R4D/C-47 served a variety of needs, including serving as the first air-tow vehicle for the M2-F1 lifting body (which was built of mahogany plywood). The C-47 (as it was then called) was used for 77 tows before the M2-F1 was retired for more advanced lifting bodies that were dropped from the NASA B-52 "Mothership." The R4D also served as a research aircraft. It was used to conduct early research on wing-tip-vortex flow visualization as well as checking out the NASA Uplink Control System. The first Gooney Bird was at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (now the Dryden Flight Research Center) from 1952 to 1956 and flew at least one cross-country flight to the Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. The second R4D, used from 1956 to 1979, made many flights to the Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California, and other NASA locations. The third R4D aircraft proved to be less reliable, causing continual maintenance problems. After an unplanned desert landing during a military exercise, it was sent to the Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, (now the Glenn Research Center).
Date	01.01.1963

R4D on Ramp

Title	R4D on Ramp
Description	This Photograph taken in 1956 shows the first of three R4D Skytrain aircraft on the ramp behind the NACA High-Speed Flight Station. Note the designation "United States NACA" on the side of the aircraft. NACA stood for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, which evolved into the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958. The R4D Skytrain was one of the early workhorses for NACA and NASA at Edwards Air Force Base, California, from 1952 to 1984. Designated the R4D by the U.S. Navy, the aircraft was called the C-47 by the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force and the DC-3 by its builder, Douglas Aircraft. Nearly everyone called it the "Gooney Bird." In 1962, Congress consolidated the military-service designations and called all of them the C-47. After that date, the R4D at NASA's Flight Research Center (itself redesignated the Dryden Flight Research Center in 1976) was properly called a C-47. Over the 32 years it was used at Edwards, three different R4D/C-47s were used to shuttle personnel and equipment between NACA/NASA Centers and test locations throughout the country and for other purposes. One purpose was landing on "dry" lakebeds used as alternate landing sites for the X-15, to determine whether their surfaces were hard (dry) enough for the X-15 to land on in case an emergency occurred after its launch and before it could reach Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards Air Force Base. The R4D/C-47 served a variety of needs, including serving as the first air-tow vehicle for the M2-F1 lifting body (which was built of mahogany plywood). The C-47 (as it was then called) was used for 77 tows before the M2-F1 was retired for more advanced lifting bodies that were dropped from the NASA B-52 "Mothership." The R4D also served as a research aircraft. It was used to conduct early research on wing-tip-vortex flow visualization as well as checking out the NASA Uplink Control System. The first Gooney Bird was at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (now the Dryden Flight Research Center) from 1952 to 1956 and flew at least one cross-country flight to the Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. The second R4D, used from 1956 to 1979, made many flights to the Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California, and other NASA locations. The third R4D aircraft proved to be less reliable, causing continual maintenance problems. After an unplanned desert landing during a military exercise, it was sent to the Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, (now the Glenn Research Center).
Date	01.01.1956

R4D Parked on Ramp

Title	R4D Parked on Ramp
Description	This Photograph taken in 1956 shows the first of three R4D Skytrain aircraft on the ramp behind the NACA High-Speed Flight Station. NACA stood for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, which evolved into the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958. The R4D Skytrain was one of the early workhorses for NACA and NASA at Edwards Air Force Base, California, from 1952 to 1984. Designated the R4D by the U.S. Navy, the aircraft was called the C-47 by the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force and the DC-3 by its builder, Douglas Aircraft. Nearly everyone called it the "Gooney Bird." In 1962, Congress consolidated the military-service designations and called all of them the C-47. After that date, the R4D at NASA's Flight Research Center (itself redesignated the Dryden Flight Research Center in 1976) was properly called a C-47. Over the 32 years it was used at Edwards, three different R4D/C-47s were used to shuttle personnel and equipment between NACA/NASA Centers and test locations throughout the country and for other purposes. One purpose was landing on "dry" lakebeds used as alternate landing sites for the X-15, to determine whether their surfaces were hard (dry) enough for the X-15 to land on in case an emergency occurred after its launch and before it could reach Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards Air Force Base. The R4D/C-47 served a variety of needs, including serving as the first air-tow vehicle for the M2-F1 lifting body (which was built of mahogany plywood). The C-47 (as it was then called) was used for 77 tows before the M2-F1 was retired for more advanced lifting bodies that were dropped from the NASA B-52 "Mothership." The R4D also served as a research aircraft. It was used to conduct early research on wing-tip-vortex flow visualization as well as checking out the NASA Uplink Control System. The first Gooney Bird was at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (now the Dryden Flight Research Center) from 1952 to 1956 and flew at least one cross-country flight to the Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. The second R4D, used from 1956 to 1979, made many flights to the Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California, and other NASA locations. The third R4D aircraft proved to be less reliable, causing continual maintenance problems. After an unplanned desert landing during a military exercise, it was sent to the Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, (now the Glenn Research Center).
Date	01.01.1956

Experimental Aircraft Associ …

Title	Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) - AirVenture 2003
Description	Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) - AirVenture 2003: Artist Robert T. McCall discussed the motivation for his new NASA century-of-flight mural during unveiling ceremonies July 30, 2003 at the EAA convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. A panoramic mural commissioned by NASA to depict highlights of the first century of flight was unveiled at the world's largest aviation event, the Experimental Aircraft Associations AirVenture - Oshkosh convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The mural, by aviation artist Robert McCall, measures six by 18 feet. McCall was on hand with NASA Dryden Flight Research Center director Kevin Peterson and Experimental Aircraft Association president Tom Poberezny for the official unveiling at Noon July 30, 2003. The painting depicts a host of milestone aircraft and spacecraft swirling around the original Wright Flyer, symbolically airborne in front of the sun at the dawn of the age of flight. In the foreground, fliers ranging from a happy-go-lucky aviator of World War One to a pair of free-floating astronauts, anonymous behind the reflective shields of their helmets, depict the people who animate the vehicles in the painting. The mural entitled "Celebrating One Hundred Years of Powered Flight, 1903-2003" will be exhibited at the EAA as part fo the commemoration of a century of flight and eventually will go on permanent display at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base in California. NASA Dryden director Keven Peterson said: " This is an exciting day for us. The painting...has been years in the making. The events it records were a century in the making. But this is a celebration of the future yet to be." Tom Poberezny said he was proud NASA chose to unveil the mural at AirVenture, "Experimental Aircraft Association has valued the relationship it has with NASA." Robert McCall told the audience he enjoys the awe of flight. He said he likes to think humanity is still just experiencing the beginnings of flight.
Date	07.28.2003

Experimental Aircraft Associ …

Title	Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) - AirVenture 2003
Description	Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) - AirVenture 2003: Artist Robert T. McCall discussed the motivation for his new NASA century-of-flight mural during unveiling ceremonies July 30, 2003 at the EAA convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. A panoramic mural commissioned by NASA to depict highlights of the first century of flight was unveiled at the world's largest aviation event, the Experimental Aircraft Associations AirVenture - Oshkosh convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The mural, by aviation artist Robert McCall, measures six by 18 feet. McCall was on hand with NASA Dryden Flight Research Center director Kevin Peterson and Experimental Aircraft Association president Tom Poberezny for the official unveiling at Noon July 30, 2003. The painting depicts a host of milestone aircraft and spacecraft swirling around the original Wright Flyer, symbolically airborne in front of the sun at the dawn of the age of flight. In the foreground, fliers ranging from a happy-go-lucky aviator of World War One to a pair of free-floating astronauts, anonymous behind the reflective shields of their helmets, depict the people who animate the vehicles in the painting. The mural entitled "Celebrating One Hundred Years of Powered Flight, 1903-2003" will be exhibited at the EAA as part fo the commemoration of a century of flight and eventually will go on permanent display at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base in California. NASA Dryden director Keven Peterson said: " This is an exciting day for us. The painting...has been years in the making. The events it records were a century in the making. But this is a celebration of the future yet to be." Tom Poberezny said he was proud NASA chose to unveil the mural at AirVenture, "Experimental Aircraft Association has valued the relationship it has with NASA." Robert McCall told the audience he enjoys the awe of flight. He said he likes to think humanity is still just experiencing the beginnings of flight.
Date	07.28.2003

Experimental Aircraft Associ …

Title	Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) - AirVenture 2003
Description	Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) - AirVenture 2003: Artist Robert T. McCall discussed the motivation for his new NASA century-of-flight mural during unveiling ceremonies July 30, 2003 at the EAA convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. A panoramic mural commissioned by NASA to depict highlights of the first century of flight was unveiled at the world's largest aviation event, the Experimental Aircraft Associations AirVenture - Oshkosh convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The mural, by aviation artist Robert McCall, measures six by 18 feet. McCall was on hand with NASA Dryden Flight Research Center director Kevin Peterson and Experimental Aircraft Association president Tom Poberezny for the official unveiling at Noon July 30, 2003. The painting depicts a host of milestone aircraft and spacecraft swirling around the original Wright Flyer, symbolically airborne in front of the sun at the dawn of the age of flight. In the foreground, fliers ranging from a happy-go-lucky aviator of World War One to a pair of free-floating astronauts, anonymous behind the reflective shields of their helmets, depict the people who animate the vehicles in the painting. The mural entitled "Celebrating One Hundred Years of Powered Flight, 1903-2003" will be exhibited at the EAA as part fo the commemoration of a century of flight and eventually will go on permanent display at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base in California. NASA Dryden director Keven Peterson said: " This is an exciting day for us. The painting...has been years in the making. The events it records were a century in the making. But this is a celebration of the future yet to be." Tom Poberezny said he was proud NASA chose to unveil the mural at AirVenture, "Experimental Aircraft Association has valued the relationship it has with NASA." Robert McCall told the audience he enjoys the awe of flight. He said he likes to think humanity is still just experiencing the beginnings of flight.
Date	07.28.2003

Experimental Aircraft Associ …

Title	Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) - AirVenture 2003
Description	Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) - AirVenture 2003: Artist Robert T. McCall discussed the motivation for his new NASA century-of-flight mural during unveiling ceremonies July 30, 2003 at the EAA convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. A panoramic mural commissioned by NASA to depict highlights of the first century of flight was unveiled at the world's largest aviation event, the Experimental Aircraft Associations AirVenture - Oshkosh convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The mural, by aviation artist Robert McCall, measures six by 18 feet. McCall was on hand with NASA Dryden Flight Research Center director Kevin Peterson and Experimental Aircraft Association president Tom Poberezny for the official unveiling at Noon July 30, 2003. The painting depicts a host of milestone aircraft and spacecraft swirling around the original Wright Flyer, symbolically airborne in front of the sun at the dawn of the age of flight. In the foreground, fliers ranging from a happy-go-lucky aviator of World War One to a pair of free-floating astronauts, anonymous behind the reflective shields of their helmets, depict the people who animate the vehicles in the painting. The mural entitled "Celebrating One Hundred Years of Powered Flight, 1903-2003" will be exhibited at the EAA as part fo the commemoration of a century of flight and eventually will go on permanent display at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base in California. NASA Dryden director Keven Peterson said: " This is an exciting day for us. The painting...has been years in the making. The events it records were a century in the making. But this is a celebration of the future yet to be." Tom Poberezny said he was proud NASA chose to unveil the mural at AirVenture, "Experimental Aircraft Association has valued the relationship it has with NASA." Robert McCall told the audience he enjoys the awe of flight. He said he likes to think humanity is still just experiencing the beginnings of flight.
Date	07.28.2003

Experimental Aircraft Associ …

Title	Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) - AirVenture 2003
Description	Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) - AirVenture 2003: Artist Robert T. McCall discussed the motivation for his new NASA century-of-flight mural during unveiling ceremonies July 30, 2003 at the EAA convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. A panoramic mural commissioned by NASA to depict highlights of the first century of flight was unveiled at the world's largest aviation event, the Experimental Aircraft Associations AirVenture - Oshkosh convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The mural, by aviation artist Robert McCall, measures six by 18 feet. McCall was on hand with NASA Dryden Flight Research Center director Kevin Peterson and Experimental Aircraft Association president Tom Poberezny for the official unveiling at Noon July 30, 2003. The painting depicts a host of milestone aircraft and spacecraft swirling around the original Wright Flyer, symbolically airborne in front of the sun at the dawn of the age of flight. In the foreground, fliers ranging from a happy-go-lucky aviator of World War One to a pair of free-floating astronauts, anonymous behind the reflective shields of their helmets, depict the people who animate the vehicles in the painting. The mural entitled "Celebrating One Hundred Years of Powered Flight, 1903-2003" will be exhibited at the EAA as part fo the commemoration of a century of flight and eventually will go on permanent display at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base in California. NASA Dryden director Keven Peterson said: " This is an exciting day for us. The painting...has been years in the making. The events it records were a century in the making. But this is a celebration of the future yet to be." Tom Poberezny said he was proud NASA chose to unveil the mural at AirVenture, "Experimental Aircraft Association has valued the relationship it has with NASA." Robert McCall told the audience he enjoys the awe of flight. He said he likes to think humanity is still just experiencing the beginnings of flight.
Date	07.28.2003

Experimental Aircraft Associ …

Title	Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) - AirVenture 2003
Description	Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) - AirVenture 2003: Artist Robert T. McCall discussed the motivation for his new NASA century-of-flight mural during unveiling ceremonies July 30, 2003 at the EAA convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. A panoramic mural commissioned by NASA to depict highlights of the first century of flight was unveiled at the world's largest aviation event, the Experimental Aircraft Associations AirVenture - Oshkosh convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The mural, by aviation artist Robert McCall, measures six by 18 feet. McCall was on hand with NASA Dryden Flight Research Center director Kevin Peterson and Experimental Aircraft Association president Tom Poberezny for the official unveiling at Noon July 30, 2003. The painting depicts a host of milestone aircraft and spacecraft swirling around the original Wright Flyer, symbolically airborne in front of the sun at the dawn of the age of flight. In the foreground, fliers ranging from a happy-go-lucky aviator of World War One to a pair of free-floating astronauts, anonymous behind the reflective shields of their helmets, depict the people who animate the vehicles in the painting. The mural entitled "Celebrating One Hundred Years of Powered Flight, 1903-2003" will be exhibited at the EAA as part fo the commemoration of a century of flight and eventually will go on permanent display at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base in California. NASA Dryden director Keven Peterson said: " This is an exciting day for us. The painting...has been years in the making. The events it records were a century in the making. But this is a celebration of the future yet to be." Tom Poberezny said he was proud NASA chose to unveil the mural at AirVenture, "Experimental Aircraft Association has valued the relationship it has with NASA." Robert McCall told the audience he enjoys the awe of flight. He said he likes to think humanity is still just experiencing the beginnings of flight.
Date	07.28.2003

Experimental Aircraft Associ …

Title	Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) - AirVenture 2003
Description	Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) - AirVenture 2003: Artist Robert T. McCall discussed the motivation for his new NASA century-of-flight mural during unveiling ceremonies July 30, 2003 at the EAA convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. A panoramic mural commissioned by NASA to depict highlights of the first century of flight was unveiled at the world's largest aviation event, the Experimental Aircraft Associations AirVenture - Oshkosh convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The mural, by aviation artist Robert McCall, measures six by 18 feet. McCall was on hand with NASA Dryden Flight Research Center director Kevin Peterson and Experimental Aircraft Association president Tom Poberezny for the official unveiling at Noon July 30, 2003. The painting depicts a host of milestone aircraft and spacecraft swirling around the original Wright Flyer, symbolically airborne in front of the sun at the dawn of the age of flight. In the foreground, fliers ranging from a happy-go-lucky aviator of World War One to a pair of free-floating astronauts, anonymous behind the reflective shields of their helmets, depict the people who animate the vehicles in the painting. The mural entitled "Celebrating One Hundred Years of Powered Flight, 1903-2003" will be exhibited at the EAA as part fo the commemoration of a century of flight and eventually will go on permanent display at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base in California. NASA Dryden director Keven Peterson said: " This is an exciting day for us. The painting...has been years in the making. The events it records were a century in the making. But this is a celebration of the future yet to be." Tom Poberezny said he was proud NASA chose to unveil the mural at AirVenture, "Experimental Aircraft Association has valued the relationship it has with NASA." Robert McCall told the audience he enjoys the awe of flight. He said he likes to think humanity is still just experiencing the beginnings of flight.
Date	07.28.2003

Experimental Aircraft Associ …

Title	Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) - AirVenture 2003
Description	Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) - AirVenture 2003: Artist Robert T. McCall discussed the motivation for his new NASA century-of-flight mural during unveiling ceremonies July 30, 2003 at the EAA convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. A panoramic mural commissioned by NASA to depict highlights of the first century of flight was unveiled at the world's largest aviation event, the Experimental Aircraft Associations AirVenture - Oshkosh convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The mural, by aviation artist Robert McCall, measures six by 18 feet. McCall was on hand with NASA Dryden Flight Research Center director Kevin Peterson and Experimental Aircraft Association president Tom Poberezny for the official unveiling at Noon July 30, 2003. The painting depicts a host of milestone aircraft and spacecraft swirling around the original Wright Flyer, symbolically airborne in front of the sun at the dawn of the age of flight. In the foreground, fliers ranging from a happy-go-lucky aviator of World War One to a pair of free-floating astronauts, anonymous behind the reflective shields of their helmets, depict the people who animate the vehicles in the painting. The mural entitled "Celebrating One Hundred Years of Powered Flight, 1903-2003" will be exhibited at the EAA as part fo the commemoration of a century of flight and eventually will go on permanent display at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base in California. NASA Dryden director Keven Peterson said: " This is an exciting day for us. The painting...has been years in the making. The events it records were a century in the making. But this is a celebration of the future yet to be." Tom Poberezny said he was proud NASA chose to unveil the mural at AirVenture, "Experimental Aircraft Association has valued the relationship it has with NASA." Robert McCall told the audience he enjoys the awe of flight. He said he likes to think humanity is still just experiencing the beginnings of flight.
Date	07.28.2003

Experimental Aircraft Associ …

Title	Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) - AirVenture 2003
Description	Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) - AirVenture 2003: Artist Robert T. McCall discussed the motivation for his new NASA century-of-flight mural during unveiling ceremonies July 30, 2003 at the EAA convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. A panoramic mural commissioned by NASA to depict highlights of the first century of flight was unveiled at the world's largest aviation event, the Experimental Aircraft Associations AirVenture - Oshkosh convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The mural, by aviation artist Robert McCall, measures six by 18 feet. McCall was on hand with NASA Dryden Flight Research Center director Kevin Peterson and Experimental Aircraft Association president Tom Poberezny for the official unveiling at Noon July 30, 2003. The painting depicts a host of milestone aircraft and spacecraft swirling around the original Wright Flyer, symbolically airborne in front of the sun at the dawn of the age of flight. In the foreground, fliers ranging from a happy-go-lucky aviator of World War One to a pair of free-floating astronauts, anonymous behind the reflective shields of their helmets, depict the people who animate the vehicles in the painting. The mural entitled "Celebrating One Hundred Years of Powered Flight, 1903-2003" will be exhibited at the EAA as part fo the commemoration of a century of flight and eventually will go on permanent display at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base in California. NASA Dryden director Keven Peterson said: " This is an exciting day for us. The painting...has been years in the making. The events it records were a century in the making. But this is a celebration of the future yet to be." Tom Poberezny said he was proud NASA chose to unveil the mural at AirVenture, "Experimental Aircraft Association has valued the relationship it has with NASA." Robert McCall told the audience he enjoys the awe of flight. He said he likes to think humanity is still just experiencing the beginnings of flight.
Date	07.28.2003

Experimental Aircraft Associ …

Title	Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) - AirVenture 2003
Description	Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) - AirVenture 2003: Artist Robert T. McCall discussed the motivation for his new NASA century-of-flight mural during unveiling ceremonies July 30, 2003 at the EAA convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. A panoramic mural commissioned by NASA to depict highlights of the first century of flight was unveiled at the world's largest aviation event, the Experimental Aircraft Associations AirVenture - Oshkosh convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The mural, by aviation artist Robert McCall, measures six by 18 feet. McCall was on hand with NASA Dryden Flight Research Center director Kevin Peterson and Experimental Aircraft Association president Tom Poberezny for the official unveiling at Noon July 30, 2003. The painting depicts a host of milestone aircraft and spacecraft swirling around the original Wright Flyer, symbolically airborne in front of the sun at the dawn of the age of flight. In the foreground, fliers ranging from a happy-go-lucky aviator of World War One to a pair of free-floating astronauts, anonymous behind the reflective shields of their helmets, depict the people who animate the vehicles in the painting. The mural entitled "Celebrating One Hundred Years of Powered Flight, 1903-2003" will be exhibited at the EAA as part fo the commemoration of a century of flight and eventually will go on permanent display at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base in California. NASA Dryden director Keven Peterson said: " This is an exciting day for us. The painting...has been years in the making. The events it records were a century in the making. But this is a celebration of the future yet to be." Tom Poberezny said he was proud NASA chose to unveil the mural at AirVenture, "Experimental Aircraft Association has valued the relationship it has with NASA." Robert McCall told the audience he enjoys the awe of flight. He said he likes to think humanity is still just experiencing the beginnings of flight.
Date	07.28.2003

HL-10 in flight over lakebed

Title	HL-10 in flight over lakebed
Description	The HL-10 lifting body is seen here in flight over Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards AFB. After the vehicle's fins were modified following its first flight, the HL-10 proved to be the best handling of the heavy-weight lifting bodies flown at Edwards Air Force Base. The HL-10 flew much better than the M2-F2, and pilots were eager to fly it. The HL-10 was one of five heavyweight lifting-body designs flown at NASA's Flight Research Center (FRC--later Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California, from July 1966 to November 1975 to study and validate the concept of safely maneuvering and landing a low lift-over-drag vehicle designed for reentry from space. Northrop Corporation built the HL-10 and M2-F2, the first two of the fleet of "heavy" lifting bodies flown by the NASA Flight Research Center. The contract for construction of the HL-10 and the M2-F2 was $1.8 million. "HL" stands for horizontal landing, and "10" refers to the tenth design studied by engineers at NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va. After delivery to NASA in January 1966, the HL-10 made its first flight on Dec. 22, 1966, with research pilot Bruce Peterson in the cockpit. Although an XLR-11 rocket engine was installed in the vehicle, the first 11 drop flights from the B-52 launch aircraft were powerless glide flights to assess handling qualities, stability, and control. In the end, the HL-10 was judged to be the best handling of the three original heavy-weight lifting bodies (M2-F2/F3, HL-10, X-24A). The HL-10 was flown 37 times during the lifting body research program and logged the highest altitude and fastest speed in the Lifting Body program. On Feb. 18, 1970, Air Force test pilot Peter Hoag piloted the HL-10 to Mach 1.86 (1,228 mph). Nine days later, NASA pilot Bill Dana flew the vehicle to 90,030 feet, which became the highest altitude reached in the program. Some new and different lessons were learned through the successful flight testing of the HL-10. These lessons, when combined with information from it's sister ship, the M2-F2/F3, provided an excellent starting point for designers of future entry vehicles, including the Space Shuttle.
Date	01.01.1969

Desert Layover

Space shuttle Discovery is p …

9/22/09

Description	Space shuttle Discovery is parked within the Mate-Demate Device gantry at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Cener prior to beginning turnaround processing for its ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Discoloration on Discovery's reinforced carbon-carbon nose cap gives evidence of the extreme heating it encountered during re-entry into the Earth' atmosphere prior to landing on Sept. 11, 2009, at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Image Credit: NASA/Tony Landis
Date	9/22/09

X-5

Title	X-5
Description	This NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station photograph of the X-5 was taken at Edwards Air Force Base in the mid 1950s. The photograph shows the aircraft in flight with the wings swept back. The Bell, X-5 was flight tested at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (now the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) from 1952 to 1955. The X-5 was the first aircraft capable of sweeping its wings in flight. It helped provide data about wing-sweep at angles of up to 60 degrees at subsonic and transonic speeds. There were two X-5 vehicles. Ship 1 was flown at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (High-Speed Flight Station, as it was redesignated in 1954) from 1951 to 1955. Ship 2 was operated by Bell and the U.S. Air Force and was lost in a spin accident in 1953. Following the conclusion of the contractor's test program, the X-5 was grounded for installation of a NACA instrument package. The Air Force conducted a short, six-flight, evaluation program. Since the Air Force evaluation program included data collection, it was considered as part of the overall NACA effort and flights were logged as AF/NACA. In the NACA test program, the X-5 demonstrated severe stall-spin instability. The X-5 was also used as a chase plane for other research aircraft because it could vary its flying characteristics to suit the airplane it was chasing. Ship 1 flew a total of 133 flights during its three years of service. In spite of the problems with the aircraft, the X-5 provided a significant full-scale verification of NACA wind-tunnel predictions for reduced drag and improved performance that resulted from this configuration's increasing the wing sweep as the speed of the aircraft approached the speed of sound. The X-5 flight tests provided some of the design data for the Air Force F-111 and Navy F-14 tactical aircraft. Although the mechanism by which the X-5 changed its wing sweep made this particular design impractical, development of a viable variable-sweep aircraft had to await Langley Aeronautical Laboratory's concept of an outboard wing pivot in the mid-1950s. (Langley was a NACA research laboratory in Hampton, Virginia.) The X-5 was a single seat aircraft powered by an Allison J-35-A-17A jet engine. It was 33.33 feet long with a wingspan of 20.9 feet (with the wings swept back at an angle of 60 degrees) to 33.5 feet (with the wings unswept). When fully fueled, the X-5 weighed 9,875 pounds.
Date	01.01.1957

X-5 Multiple Exposure Photo …

Title	X-5 Multiple Exposure Photo Showing Wing Sweep
Description	This NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station photograph of the X-5 was taken at the South Base of Edwards Air Force Base. The photograph, a multiple exposure, illustrates the X-5's variably swept wing capability. The Bell, X-5 was flight tested at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (now the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) from 1952 to 1955. The X-5 was the first aircraft capable of sweeping its wings in flight. It helped provide data about wing-sweep at angles of up to 60 degrees at subsonic and transonic speeds. There were two X-5 vehicles. Ship 1 was flown at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (High-Speed Flight Station, as it was redesignated in 1954) from 1951 to 1955. Ship 2 was operated by Bell and the U.S. Air Force and was lost in a spin accident in 1953. Following the conclusion of the contractor's test program, the X-5 was grounded for installation of a NACA instrument package. The Air Force conducted a short, six-flight, evaluation program. Since the Air Force evaluation program included data collection, it was considered as part of the overall NACA effort and flights were logged as AF/NACA. In the NACA test program, the X-5 demonstrated severe stall-spin instability. The X-5 was also used as a chase plane for other research aircraft because it could vary its flying characteristics to suit the airplane it was chasing. Ship 1 flew a total of 133 flights during its three years of service. In spite of the problems with the aircraft, the X-5 provided a significant full-scale verification of NACA wind-tunnel predictions for reduced drag and improved performance that resulted from this configuration's increasing the wing sweep as the speed of the aircraft approached the speed of sound. The X-5 flight tests provided some of the design data for the Air Force F-111 and Navy F-14 tactical aircraft. Although the mechanism by which the X-5 changed its wing sweep made this particular design impractical, development of a viable variable-sweep aircraft had to await Langley Aeronautical Laboratory's concept of an outboard wing pivot in the mid-1950s. (Langley was a NACA research laboratory in Hampton, Virginia.) The X-5 was a single seat aircraft powered by an Allison J-35-A-17A jet engine. It was 33.33 feet long with a wingspan of 20.9 feet (with the wings swept back at an angle of 60 degrees) to 33.5 feet (with the wings unswept). When fully fueled, the X-5 weighed 9,875 pounds.
Date	09.23.1952

X-5 on Ramp

Title	X-5 on Ramp
Description	This NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station photograph of the X-5 was taken at the South Base of Edwards Air Force Base in 1952. The photograph is a left side view of the aircraft on the ramp. The Bell, X-5 was flight tested at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (now the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) from 1952 to 1955. The X-5 was the first aircraft capable of sweeping its wings in flight. It helped provide data about wing-sweep at angles of up to 60 degrees at subsonic and transonic speeds. There were two X-5 vehicles. Ship 1 was flown at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (High-Speed Flight Station, as it was redesignated in 1954) from 1951 to 1955. Ship 2 was operated by Bell and the U.S. Air Force and was lost in a spin accident in 1953. Following the conclusion of the contractor's test program, the X-5 was grounded for installation of a NACA instrument package. The Air Force conducted a short, six-flight, evaluation program. Since the Air Force evaluation program included data collection, it was considered as part of the overall NACA effort and flights were logged as AF/NACA. In the NACA test program, the X-5 demonstrated severe stall-spin instability. The X-5 was also used as a chase plane for other research aircraft because it could vary its flying characteristics to suit the airplane it was chasing. Ship 1 flew a total of 133 flights during its three years of service. In spite of the problems with the aircraft, the X-5 provided a significant full-scale verification of NACA wind-tunnel predictions for reduced drag and improved performance that resulted from this configuration's increasing the wing sweep as the speed of the aircraft approached the speed of sound. The X-5 flight tests provided some of the design data for the Air Force F-111 and Navy F-14 tactical aircraft. Although the mechanism by which the X-5 changed its wing sweep made this particular design impractical, development of a viable variable-sweep aircraft had to await Langley Aeronautical Laboratory's concept of an outboard wing pivot in the mid-1950s. (Langley was a NACA research laboratory in Hampton, Virginia.) The X-5 was a single seat aircraft powered by an Allison J-35-A-17A jet engine. It was 33.33 feet long with a wingspan of 20.9 feet (with the wings swept back at an angle of 60 degrees) to 33.5 feet (with the wings unswept). When fully fueled, the X-5 weighed 9,875 pounds.
Date	01.01.1952

X-5 on Ramp

Title	X-5 on Ramp
Description	This NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station photograph of the X-5 was taken at the South Base of Edwards Air Force Base. The photograph portrays a left wing side view of the aircraft and also shows the pitot-static probe, used to measure airspeed, Mach number, and altitude, mounted on a noseboom protruding from the top of the aircraft's nose engine inlet. Also attached to the pitot-static probe portion of the noseboom are flow direction vanes for sensing the aircraft's angles-of-attack and sideslip in flight. The Bell, X-5 was flight tested at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (now the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) from 1952 to 1955. The X-5 was the first aircraft capable of sweeping its wings in flight. It helped provide data about wing-sweep at angles of up to 60 degrees at subsonic and transonic speeds. There were two X-5 vehicles. Ship 1 was flown at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (High-Speed Flight Station, as it was redesignated in 1954) from 1951 to 1955. Ship 2 was operated by Bell and the U.S. Air Force and was lost in a spin accident in 1953. Following the conclusion of the contractor's test program, the X-5 was grounded for installation of a NACA instrument package. The Air Force conducted a short, six-flight, evaluation program. Since the Air Force evaluation program included data collection, it was considered as part of the overall NACA effort and flights were logged as AF/NACA. In the NACA test program, the X-5 demonstrated severe stall-spin instability. The X-5 was also used as a chase plane for other research aircraft because it could vary its flying characteristics to suit the airplane it was chasing. Ship 1 flew a total of 133 flights during its three years of service. In spite of the problems with the aircraft, the X-5 provided a significant full-scale verification of NACA wind-tunnel predictions for reduced drag and improved performance that resulted from this configuration's increasing the wing sweep as the speed of the aircraft approached the speed of sound. The X-5 flight tests provided some of the design data for the Air Force F-111 and Navy F-14 tactical aircraft. Although the mechanism by which the X-5 changed its wing sweep made this particular design impractical, development of a viable variable-sweep aircraft had to await Langley Aeronautical Laboratory's concept of an outboard wing pivot in the mid-1950s. (Langley was a NACA research laboratory in Hampton, Virginia.) The X-5 was a single seat aircraft powered by an Allison J-35-A-17A jet engine. It was 33.33 feet long with a wingspan of 20.9 feet (with the wings swept back at an angle of 60 degrees) to 33.5 feet (with the wings unswept). When fully fueled, the X-5 weighed 9,875 pounds.
Date	01.01.1952

X-5 on Ramp - Front View

Title	X-5 on Ramp - Front View
Description	This NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station photograph of the X-5 was taken at the South Base of Edwards Air Force Base. The photograph shows a frontal view of the X-5 on the ramp in-front of the NACA hangar. This view also provides a good view of the pitot-static probe, used to measure airspeed, Mach number, and altitude, mounted on a nose boom protruding from the top of the aircraft's nose engine inlet. Also attached to the pitot-static probe portion of the nose boom are flow direction vanes for sensing the aircraft's angles-of-attack and sideslip in flight. The Bell, X-5 was flight tested at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (now the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) from 1952 to 1955. The X-5 was the first aircraft capable of sweeping its wings in flight. It helped provide data about wing-sweep at angles of up to 60 degrees at subsonic and transonic speeds. There were two X-5 vehicles. Ship 1 was flown at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (High-Speed Flight Station, as it was redesignated in 1954) from 1951 to 1955. Ship 2 was operated by Bell and the U.S. Air Force and was lost in a spin accident in 1953. Following the conclusion of the contractor's test program, the X-5 was grounded for installation of a NACA instrument package. The Air Force conducted a short, six-flight, evaluation program. Since the Air Force evaluation program included data collection, it was considered as part of the overall NACA effort and flights were logged as AF/NACA. In the NACA test program, the X-5 demonstrated severe stall-spin instability. The X-5 was also used as a chase plane for other research aircraft because it could vary its flying characteristics to suit the airplane it was chasing. Ship 1 flew a total of 133 flights during its three years of service. In spite of the problems with the aircraft, the X-5 provided a significant full-scale verification of NACA wind-tunnel predictions for reduced drag and improved performance that resulted from this configuration's increasing the wing sweep as the speed of the aircraft approached the speed of sound. The X-5 flight tests provided some of the design data for the Air Force F-111 and Navy F-14 tactical aircraft. Although the mechanism by which the X-5 changed its wing sweep made this particular design impractical, development of a viable variable-sweep aircraft had to await Langley Aeronautical Laboratory's concept of an outboard wing pivot in the mid-1950s. (Langley was a NACA research laboratory in Hampton, Virginia.) The X-5 was a single-seat aircraft powered by an Allison J35-A-17A jet engine. It was 33.33 feet long with a wingspan of 20.9 feet (with the wings swept back at an angle of 60 degrees) to 33.5 feet (with the wings unswept). When fully fueled, the X-5 weighed 9,875 pounds.
Date	01.01.1952

X-5 on Ramp - Front View, Wi …

Title	X-5 on Ramp - Front View, Wings Swept
Description	This NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station photograph of the X-5 was taken at the South Base of Edwards Air Force Base. The photograph, on the ramp in-front of the NACA hangar, shows a frontal view of the X-5 illustrating it's wing sweep capability. This view also provides a good view of the inlet and attached nose boom on the top. The Bell, X-5 was flight tested at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (now the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) from 1952 to 1955. The X-5 was the first aircraft capable of sweeping its wings in flight. It helped provide data about wing-sweep at angles of up to 60 degrees at subsonic and transonic speeds. There were two X-5 vehicles. Ship 1 was flown at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (High-Speed Flight Station, as it was redesignated in 1954) from 1951 to 1955. Ship 2 was operated by Bell and the U.S. Air Force and was lost in a spin accident in 1953. Following the conclusion of the contractor's test program, the X-5 was grounded for installation of a NACA instrument package. The Air Force conducted a short, six-flight, evaluation program. Since the Air Force evaluation program included data collection, it was considered as part of the overall NACA effort and flights were logged as AF/NACA. In the NACA test program, the X-5 demonstrated severe stall-spin instability. The X-5 was also used as a chase plane for other research aircraft because it could vary its flying characteristics to suit the airplane it was chasing. Ship 1 flew a total of 133 flights during its three years of service. In spite of the problems with the aircraft, the X-5 provided a significant full-scale verification of NACA wind-tunnel predictions for reduced drag and improved performance that resulted from this configuration's increasing the wing sweep as the speed of the aircraft approached the speed of sound. The X-5 flight tests provided some of the design data for the Air Force F-111 and Navy F-14 tactical aircraft. Although the mechanism by which the X-5 changed its wing sweep made this particular design impractical, development of a viable variable-sweep aircraft had to await Langley Aeronautical Laboratory's concept of an outboard wing pivot in the mid-1950s. (Langley was a NACA research laboratory in Hampton, Virginia.) The X-5 was a single seat aircraft powered by an Allison J-35-A-17A jet engine. It was 33.33 feet long with a wingspan of 20.9 feet (with the wings swept back at an angle of 60 degrees) to 33.5 feet (with the wings unswept). When fully fueled, the X-5 weighed 9,875 pounds.
Date	01.01.1952

X-5 on Ramp - Side View

Title	X-5 on Ramp - Side View
Description	This NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station photograph of the X-5 was taken at the South Base of Edwards Air Force Base. The photograph shows the X-5 on the ramp in-front of the NACA hangar. The Bell, X-5 was flight tested at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (now the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) from 1952 to 1955. The X-5 was the first aircraft capable of sweeping its wings in flight. It helped provide data about wing-sweep at angles of up to 60 degrees at subsonic and transonic speeds. There were two X-5 vehicles. Ship 1 was flown at the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (High-Speed Flight Station, as it was redesignated in 1954) from 1951 to 1955. Ship 2 was operated by Bell and the U.S. Air Force and was lost in a spin accident in 1953. Following the conclusion of the contractor's test program, the X-5 was grounded for installation of a NACA instrument package. The Air Force conducted a short, six-flight, evaluation program. Since the Air Force evaluation program included data collection, it was considered as part of the overall NACA effort and flights were logged as AF/NACA. In the NACA test program, the X-5 demonstrated severe stall-spin instability. The X-5 was also used as a chase plane for other research aircraft because it could vary its flying characteristics to suit the airplane it was chasing. Ship 1 flew a total of 133 flights during its three years of service. In spite of the problems with the aircraft, the X-5 provided a significant full-scale verification of NACA wind-tunnel predictions for reduced drag and improved performance that resulted from this configuration's increasing the wing sweep as the speed of the aircraft approached the speed of sound. The X-5 flight tests provided some of the design data for the Air Force F-111 and Navy F-14 tactical aircraft. Although the mechanism by which the X-5 changed its wing sweep made this particular design impractical, development of a viable variable-sweep aircraft had to await Langley Aeronautical Laboratory's concept of an outboard wing pivot in the mid-1950s. (Langley was a NACA research laboratory in Hampton, Virginia.) The X-5 was a single seat aircraft powered by an Allison J-35-A-17A jet engine. It was 33.33 feet long with a wingspan of 20.9 feet (with the wings swept back at an angle of 60 degrees) to 33.5 feet (with the wings unswept). When fully fueled, the X-5 weighed 9,875 pounds.
Date	01.01.1952

Walter C. Williams

Title	Walter C. Williams
Description	Walter C. Williams arrived from the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, Hampton, Virginia, on September 30, 1946, at the Muroc Army Air Field. He had been named the engineer-in-charge of the small group of five that came with him to the Rogers Dry Lakebed to take part in research flights of a joint NACA-Army Air Forces program involving the rocket-powered Bell XS-1. This established the first permanent National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics presence at the Mojave Desert site in California. This small group grew in numbers to 27 and received permanent status as the NACA Muroc Flight Test Unit from Hugh L. Dryden, NACA's Director of Research, on September 27, 1947. Walt was named Head of the Unit. On November 14, 1949, the Unit along with the 100 employees became the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station with Walt Williams as Chief. Next came the move from the South Base site to the new headquarters, Bldg. 4800 on the north-west shore of the Rogers Dry lakebed on the Edwards Air Force Base complex. July 1, 1954 saw another name change to the NACA High-Speed Flight Station with Walt remaining the Chief to a complement of about 225 employees. Williams had received a Bachelor of Science Degree in aeronautical engineering from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1939. After graduation, he was employed by the Glenn L. Martin Company of Baltimore, Maryland, and later that same year joined the staff of the NACA Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, where he worked as an engineer in the Flight Division. During the period from September 1946 to July 1954 Williams supervised the activities of several research projects. These included the first successful rocket-powered flight of the XS-1 made by Bell pilot Chalmers Goodlin on December 9, 1946, the record breaking flight of A.F. Captain Chuck Yeager on October 14, 1947, that exceeded the speed of sound, and the first flight of the jet-powered Douglas D-558-1 Skystreak by NACA pilot Howard C. Lilly on November 25, 1947. On March 10, 1948, Herbert Hoover was the first NACA pilot and the first civilian to fly supersonically (in the XS-1). Then came the testing of the tailless Northrop X-4 aircraft, the first flight of the variably swept wing Bell X-5 made by NACA pilot Joseph A. Walker, the first NACA flight of the Convair XF-92A, a delta wing configuration, on April 9, 1953, followed by the first Mach 2 flight on November 20, 1953, flown by NACA pilot Scott Crossfield in the rocket-powered Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket. Walt continued to be in charge during the many name changes for the NACA-NASA organization, ending his stay as Chief of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Flight Research Center (todays NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center) in September 1959. See DIRECTORS, E-1364 for further information on Walter C. Williams.
Date	01.01.1949

Two NASA Dryden F/A-18's lan …

Photo Date	September 20, 2001

Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in Calif. at 5:11 a.m. this morning, following the very successful 14-day STS-114 return to flight mission.

Photo Description	Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in Calif. at 5:11 a.m. this morning, following the very successful 14-day STS-114 return to flight mission.
Project Description	STS-114
Photo Date	August 9, 2005

A B-52H, on loan to NASA's D …

Photo Date	July 30, 2001

Navajo Code Talker Joe Morris, Sr. shared insights from his time as a secret World War Two messenger with his audience at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Nov. 26, 2002. NASA Dryden is located on Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert.

Navajo Code Talker Joe Morri …

Photo Description	Navajo Code Talker Joe Morris, Sr. shared insights from his time as a secret World War Two messenger with his audience at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Nov. 26, 2002. NASA Dryden is located on Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert.
Photo Date	November 26, 2002

Navajo Code Talker Joe Morri …

Photo Description	Navajo Code Talker Joe Morris, Sr. shared insights from his time as a secret World War Two messenger with his audience at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Nov. 26, 2002. NASA Dryden is located on Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert.
Photo Date	November 26, 2002

NASA Dryden Flight Research Center director Kevin Petersen shakes hands with Air Force Flight Test Center commander, Brig. Gen. Curtis Bedke, at the retirement ceremony for NASA's B-52B, on Dec. 17, 2004. Regarded as having participated in more aviation history than any other single aircraft, NASA's famous B-52B mothership aircraft was retired on Dec. 17, 2004. A joint NASA and U.S. Air Force Flight Test Center ceremony marked the occasion, hosted at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

Photo Description	NASA Dryden Flight Research Center director Kevin Petersen shakes hands with Air Force Flight Test Center commander, Brig. Gen. Curtis Bedke, at the retirement ceremony for NASA's B-52B, on Dec. 17, 2004. Regarded as having participated in more aviation history than any other single aircraft, NASA's famous B-52B mothership aircraft was retired on Dec. 17, 2004. A joint NASA and U.S. Air Force Flight Test Center ceremony marked the occasion, hosted at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
Photo Date	December 17, 2004

NASA Dryden Flight Research Center director Kevin Petersen speaks to an audience of NASA and U.S. Air Force visitors, employees and special guests, at the retirement ceremony for NASA's B-52B, on Dec. 17, 2004. Regarded as having participated in more aviation history than any other single aircraft, NASA's famous B-52B mothership aircraft was retired on Dec. 17, 2004. A joint NASA and U.S. Air Force Flight Test Center ceremony marked the occasion, hosted at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

Photo Description	NASA Dryden Flight Research Center director Kevin Petersen speaks to an audience of NASA and U.S. Air Force visitors, employees and special guests, at the retirement ceremony for NASA's B-52B, on Dec. 17, 2004. Regarded as having participated in more aviation history than any other single aircraft, NASA's famous B-52B mothership aircraft was retired on Dec. 17, 2004. A joint NASA and U.S. Air Force Flight Test Center ceremony marked the occasion, hosted at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
Photo Date	December 17, 2004

Bob Meyer (right), acting deputy director of NASA Dryden, shakes hands with Les Bordelon, executive director of Edwards Air Force Base. The handshake represents Dryden's acceptance of an Air Force C-20A delivered from Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

Photo Description	Bob Meyer (right), acting deputy director of NASA Dryden, shakes hands with Les Bordelon, executive director of Edwards Air Force Base. The handshake represents Dryden's acceptance of an Air Force C-20A delivered from Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
Project Description	NASA's modified Gulfstream G-III aircraft provides a platform to test and evaluate a variety of new technologies, and can also be used to gather scientific data for geological studies or earthquake prediction. The G-III airframe has been structurally modified to incorporate a MAU-12 ejector rack on the bottom of the fuselage on which a variety of experiments can be mounted. As a Multi-Role Cooperative Research Platform, the heavily instrumented twin-turbofan aircraft provides long-term capability for efficient testing of subsonic flight experiments for NASA, the U.S. Air Force, other government agencies, academia, and private industry. Originally designated a C-20A by the Air Force, the aircraft was declared excess by that service and transferred to NASA Dryden at Edwards AFB, Calif., in September 2002.
Photo Date	September 30, 2002

NACA Aircraft in hangar 1953 …

Title	NACA Aircraft in hangar 1953 - L-R: Three D-558-2s, D-558-1, B-47, wing of YF-84A, background are th
Description	The aircraft in this 1953 photo of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) hangar at South Base of Edwards Air Force Base showed the wide range of research activities being undertaken. On the left side of the hanger are the three D-558-2 research aircraft. These were designed to test swept wings at supersonic speeds approaching Mach 2. The front D-558-2 is the third built (NACA 145/Navy 37975). It has been modified with a leading-edge chord extension. This was one of a number of wing modifications, using different configurations of slats and/or wing fences, to ease the airplane's tendency to pitch-up. NACA 145 had both a jet and a rocket engine. The middle aircraft is NACA 144 (Navy 37974), the second built. It was all-rocket powered, and Scott Crossfield made the first Mach 2 flight in this aircraft on November 20, 1953. The aircraft in the back is D-558-2 number 1. NACA 143 (Navy 37973) was also carried both a jet and a rocket engine in 1953. It had been used for the Douglas contractor flights, then was turned over to the NACA. The aircraft was not converted to all-rocket power until June 1954. It made only a single NACA flight before NACA's D-558-2 program ended in 1956. Beside the three D-558-2s is the third D-558-1. Unlike the supersonic D-558-2s, it was designed for flight research at transonic speeds, up to Mach 1. The D-558-1 was jet-powered, and took off from the ground. The D-558-1's handling was poor as it approached Mach 1. Given the designation NACA 142 (Navy 37972), it made a total of 78 research flights, with the last in June 1953. In the back of the hangar is the X-4 (Air Force 46-677). This was a Northrop-built research aircraft which tested a swept wing design without horizontal stabilizers. The aircraft proved unstable in flight at speeds above Mach 0.88. The aircraft showed combined pitching, rolling, and yawing motions, and the design was considered unsuitable. The aircraft, the second X-4 built, was then used as a pilot trainer for approach and landing studies. This data was used in designing later rocket-powered aircraft. Almost hidden in the back of the hangar is the ETF-51D (NACA 148/Air Force 44-84958). This two-seat trainer was used as a low-speed chase aircraft, as well as for support flights and liaison missions. It arrived at the NACA High Speed Flight Research Station on September 5, 1950, and was retired from NASA service after a taxi accident on April 15, 1959. The U.S. Army unit at Edwards AFB repaired the aircraft, and used it for helicopter chase work. On the right side of the photo the B-47A (NACA 150/Air Force 49-1900) and YF-84A (NACA 134/Air Force 45-59490) are visible. The B-47A was the first production aircraft built by Boeing. The aircraft was transferred from Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory to the High-Speed Flight Research Station on March 17, 1953, where it was used for a wide range of research, including handling qualities, dynamic stability, gust loads, noise level, measurements, aeroelasticity (the bending of the wings in flight), and a survey of the X-15 High Range. The YF-84A, in front of the B-47A, was used for vortex generator studies. The Dryden Flight Research Center, NASA's premier installation for aeronautical flight research, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1996. Dryden is the "Center of Excellence" for atmospheric flight operations. The Center's charter is to research, develop, verify, and transfer advanced aeronautics, space, and related technologies. It is located at Edwards, Calif., on the western edge of the Mojave Desert, 80 miles north of Los Angeles. Dryden's history dates back to the early fall of 1946, when a group of five aeronautical engineers arrived at what is now Edwards from the NACA's Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, Hampton, Va. Their goal was to prepare for the X-l supersonic research flights in a joint NACA-U.S. Army Air Forces-Bell Aircraft Corp. program. NACA--the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics--was the predecessor of today's NASA. Since the days of the X-l, the first aircraft to fly faster than the speed of sound, the installation has grown in size and significance and is associated with many important developments in aviation -- supersonic and hypersonic flight, wingless lifting bodies, digital fly-by-wire, supercritical and forward-swept wings, and the space shuttles. Its name has changed many times over the years. From 14 November 1949 to 1 July 1954 it bore the name NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station.
Date	01.01.1953

A Ground Crewman Checks Over …

Photo Date	March 2000

NASA's two modified F-15B research aircraft joined up for a fly-over of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards AFB, Calif., after a research mission.

Photo Description	NASA's two modified F-15B research aircraft joined up for a fly-over of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards AFB, Calif., after a research mission.
Project Description	NASA's two F-15 research aircraft don't get a lot of flight hours, and it's even rarer to have them in the air together on the same mission. But research pilots Jim Smolka and Craig Bomben from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center put the highly modified aircraft through their paces during a mission over the Edwards Air Force Base test range in late July that supported the Intelligent Flight Control System's (IFCS) project.?The canard-equipped F-15B tail number 837, NASA's IFCS aircraft, was flying structural mode validation flights at the time, leading to Generation II IFCS flights planned for later this year. F-15B tail number 836 was flying safety chase as well as for pilot proficiency in air refueling. Both aircraft performed aerial refueling from an Air Force KC-135 tanker aircraft. At the end of the mission, the two joined up for a formation fly-over of their home at NASA Dryden.
Photo Date	July 22, 2005

Members of the SOFIA infrared observatory support team gather around Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin (in red shirt) during Aldrin's tour of NASA Dryden.

Photo Description	Members of the SOFIA infrared observatory support team gather around Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin (in red shirt) during Aldrin's tour of NASA Dryden.
Project Description	Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin was honored by the Lancaster JetHawks Class A California League baseball team during their annual Aerospace Appreciation Night on Aug. 25, 2007. Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were the first two humans to set foot on the moon in 1969. Prior to his appearance at the baseball game, Aldrin toured NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, and was brought up to date on several of the major aeronautics, science and space research projects under way at the center by former Apollo-Soyuz and space shuttle astronaut Vance Brand, director of aerospace projects at NASA Dryden.
Photo Date	August 25, 2007

Photo Description	Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin (left) and Apollo-Soyuz and space shuttle astronaut Vance Brand discuss Dryden's work on an Orion fit-check crew module mockup.
Project Description	Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin was honored by the Lancaster JetHawks Class A California League baseball team during their annual Aerospace Appreciation Night on Aug. 25, 2007. Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were the first two humans to set foot on the moon in 1969. Prior to his appearance at the baseball game, Aldrin toured NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, and was brought up to date on several of the major aeronautics, science and space research projects under way at the center by former Apollo-Soyuz and space shuttle astronaut Vance Brand, director of aerospace projects at NASA Dryden.
Photo Date	August 25, 2007

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin autographs NASA Dryden's F-16XL research aircraft, as his crewmate Neil Armstrong had previously done on the other side.

Photo Description	Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin autographs NASA Dryden's F-16XL research aircraft, as his crewmate Neil Armstrong had previously done on the other side.
Project Description	Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin was honored by the Lancaster JetHawks Class A California League baseball team during their annual Aerospace Appreciation Night on Aug. 25, 2007. Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were the first two humans to set foot on the moon in 1969. Prior to his appearance at the baseball game, Aldrin toured NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, and was brought up to date on several of the major aeronautics, science and space research projects under way at the center by former Apollo-Soyuz and space shuttle astronaut Vance Brand, director of aerospace projects at NASA Dryden.
Photo Date	August 25, 2007

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin tries out the control station for the X-48B Blended Wing Body unmanned subscale demonstrator during a tour of NASA Dryden.

Photo Description	Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin tries out the control station for the X-48B Blended Wing Body unmanned subscale demonstrator during a tour of NASA Dryden.
Project Description	Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin was honored by the Lancaster JetHawks Class A California League baseball team during their annual Aerospace Appreciation Night on Aug. 25, 2007. Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were the first two humans to set foot on the moon in 1969. Prior to his appearance at the baseball game, Aldrin toured NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, and was brought up to date on several of the major aeronautics, science and space research projects under way at the center by former Apollo-Soyuz and space shuttle astronaut Vance Brand, director of aerospace projects at NASA Dryden.
Photo Date	August 25, 2007

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin and tour guide Mary Ann Harness check out models of the Ares 1 and Ares 5 space vehicles during Aldrin's tour of NASA Dryden.

Photo Description	Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin and tour guide Mary Ann Harness check out models of the Ares 1 and Ares 5 space vehicles during Aldrin's tour of NASA Dryden.
Project Description	Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin was honored by the Lancaster JetHawks Class A California League baseball team during their annual Aerospace Appreciation Night on Aug. 25, 2007. Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were the first two humans to set foot on the moon in 1969. Prior to his appearance at the baseball game, Aldrin toured NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, and was brought up to date on several of the major aeronautics, science and space research projects under way at the center by former Apollo-Soyuz and space shuttle astronaut Vance Brand, director of aerospace projects at NASA Dryden.
Photo Date	August 25, 2007

SOFIA Airborne Observatory A …

SOFIA Airborne Observatory T …

SOFIA Airborne Observatory S …

X-2 in flight

Title	X-2 in flight
Description	NACA worked with the Air Force in using a special computer to extrapolate and predict aircraft behavior from flight data., This inflight photograph of the X-2 (46-674) shows the twin set of shock-diamonds, characteristic of supersonic conditions in the exhaust plume from the two-chamber rocket engine. The Curtiss-Wright XLR-25 rocket engine caused one of several problems that delayed flight of the X-2. At one point, people in the project suggested its replacement. It was the first "man-rated" (in the terminology of the day) rocket engine that was throttleable, and the technology was not yet mature. Other problems included the X-2's landing gear and the replacement of the planned electronic flight controls with a conventional hydromechanical system like that used in the F-86. The X-2 was a swept-wing, rocket-powered aircraft designed to fly faster than Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound). It was built for the U.S. Air Force by the Bell Aircraft Company, Buffalo, New York. The X-2 was flown to investigate the problems of aerodynamic heating as well as stability and control effectiveness at high altitudes and high speeds (in excess of Mach 3). Bell aircraft built two X-2 aircraft. These were constructed of K-monel (a copper and nickel alloy) for the fuselage and stainless steel for the swept wings and control surfaces. The aircraft had ejectable nose capsules instead of ejection seats because the development of ejection seats had not reached maturity at the time the X-2 was conceived. The X-2 ejection canopy was successfully tested using a German V-2 rocket. The X-2 used a skid-type landing gear to make room for more fuel. The airplane was air launched from a modified Boeing B-50 Superfortress Bomber. X-2 Number 1 made its first unpowered glide flight on Aug. 5, 1954, and made a total of 17 (4 glide and 13 powered) flights before it was lost Sept. 27, 1956. The pilot on Flight 17, Capt. Milburn Apt, had flown the aircraft to a record speed of Mach 3.2 (2,094 mph), thus becoming the first person to exceed Mach 3. During that last flight, inertial coupling occurred and the pilot was killed. The aircraft suffered little damage in the crash, resulting in proposals (never implemented) from the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, Hampton, Virginia, to rebuild it for use in a hypersonic (Mach 5+) test program. In 1953, X-2 Number 2 was lost in an in-flight explosion while at the Bell Aircraft Company during captive flight trials and was jettisoned into Lake Ontario. The Air Force had previously flown the aircraft on three glide flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in 1952. Although the NACA's High-Speed Flight Station, Edwards, California, (predecessor of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center) never actually flew the X-2 aircraft, the NACA did support the program primarily through Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory wind-tunnel tests and Wallops Island, Virginia, rocket-model tests. The NACA High-Speed Flight Station also provided stability and control recording instrumentation and simulator support for the Air Force flights. In the latter regard, the
Date	01.01.1956

X-2 on lakebed after landing …

Title	X-2 on lakebed after landing on skids
Description	This 1952 photograph shows the X-2 #2 (46-675) with a collapsed nose landing gear, after landing on the first glide flight at Edwards Air Force Base. The aircraft pitched at landing, slid along its main skid, and contacted the ground with the right wingtip bumper skid, causing it to break off. The nose wheel had collapsed upon contacting the ground. In the photo, Bell test pilot Jean Ziegler is still in the cockpit as ground crewmen stand by the aircraft. The X-2 #2 was subsequently destroyed in an explosion during captive flight on May 12, 1953, killing Ziegler and EB-50A crewmember Frank Wolko. The X-2 was a swept-wing, rocket-powered aircraft designed to fly faster than Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound). It was built for the U.S. Air Force by the Bell Aircraft Company, Buffalo, New York. The X-2 was flown to investigate the problems of aerodynamic heating as well as stability and control effectiveness at high altitudes and high speeds (in excess of Mach 3). Bell aircraft built two X-2 aircraft. These were constructed of K-monel (a copper and nickel alloy) for the fuselage and stainless steel for the swept wings and control surfaces. The aircraft had ejectable nose capsules instead of ejection seats because the development of ejection seats had not reached maturity at the time the X-2 was conceived. The X-2 ejection canopy was successfully tested using a German V-2 rocket. The X-2 used a skid-type landing gear to make room for more fuel. The airplane was air launched from a modified Boeing B-50 Superfortress Bomber. X-2 Number 1 made its first unpowered glide flight on Aug. 5, 1954, and made a total of 17 (4 glide and 13 powered) flights before it was lost Sept. 27, 1956. The pilot on Flight 17, Capt. Milburn Apt, had flown the aircraft to a record speed of Mach 3.2 (2,094 mph), thus becoming the first person to exceed Mach 3. During that last flight, inertial coupling occurred and the pilot was killed. The aircraft suffered little damage in the crash, resulting in proposals (never implemented) from the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, Hampton, Virginia, to rebuild it for use in a hypersonic (Mach 5+) test program. In 1953, X-2 Number 2 was lost in an in-flight explosion while at the Bell Aircraft Company during captive flight trials and was jettisoned into Lake Ontario. The Air Force had previously flown the aircraft on three glide flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in 1952. Although the NACA's High-Speed Flight Station, Edwards, California, (predecessor of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center) never actually flew the X-2 aircraft, the NACA did support the program primarily through Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory wind-tunnel tests and Wallops Island, Virginia, rocket-model tests. The NACA High-Speed Flight Station also provided stability and control recording instrumentation and simulator support for the Air Force flights. In the latter regard, the NACA worked with the Air Force in using a special computer, to extrapolate and predict aircraft behavior from flight data.
Date	01.01.1952

X-2 on ramp with B-50 mother …

Title	X-2 on ramp with B-50 mothership and support crew
Description	Aeronautical Laboratory wind-tunnel tests and Wallops Island, Virginia, rocket-model tests. The NACA High-Speed Flight Station also provided stability and control recording instrumentation and simulator support for the Air Force flights. In the latter regard, the NACA worked with the Air Force in using a special computer to extrapolate and predict aircraft behavior from flight data., Air Force test pilot Capt. Iven Kincheloe stands in front of the Bell X-2 (46-674) on the ramp at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Behind the X-2 are ground support personnel, the B-50 launch aircraft and crew, chase planes, and support vehicles. Kincheloe had flown nearly 100 combat missions in Korea in an F-86 and was credited with shooting down 10 enemy aircraft. He then graduated from the Empire Test Pilot's School in Great Britain in December 1954, whereupon he was assigned to Edwards Air Force Base. He made four powered flights in the X-2. On September 7, 1956, he reached an altitude of 126,200 feet. After the death of Capt. Mel Apt and the loss of the X-2 #1 on September 27, 1956, in the first Mach 3 flight, Kincheloe was assigned as the Air Force project pilot for the X-15. Before he had a chance to fly that rocket-powered aircraft, Kincheloe himself lost his life on July 26, 1958, in an F-104 accident. The X-2 was a swept-wing, rocket-powered aircraft designed to fly faster than Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound). It was built for the U.S. Air Force by the Bell Aircraft Company, Buffalo, New York. The X-2 was flown to investigate the problems of aerodynamic heating as well as stability and control effectiveness at high altitudes and high speeds (in excess of Mach 3). Bell aircraft built two X-2 aircraft. These were constructed of K-monel (a copper and nickel alloy) for the fuselage and stainless steel for the swept wings and control surfaces. The aircraft had ejectable nose capsules instead of ejection seats because the development of ejection seats had not reached maturity at the time the X-2 was conceived. The X-2 ejection canopy was successfully tested using a German V-2 rocket. The X-2 used a skid-type landing gear to make room for more fuel. The airplane was air launched from a modified Boeing B-50 Superfortress Bomber. X-2 Number 1 made its first unpowered glide flight on Aug. 5, 1954, and made a total of 17 (4 glide and 13 powered) flights before it was lost Sept. 27, 1956. The pilot on Flight 17, Capt. Milburn Apt, had flown the aircraft to a record speed of Mach 3.2 (2,094 mph), thus becoming the first person to exceed Mach 3. During that last flight, inertial coupling occurred and the pilot was killed. The aircraft suffered little damage in the crash, resulting in proposals (never implemented) from the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, Hampton, Virginia, to rebuild it for use in a hypersonic (Mach 5+) test program. In 1953, X-2 Number 2 was lost in an in-flight explosion while at the Bell Aircraft Company during captive flight trials and was jettisoned into Lake Ontario. The Air Force had previously flown the aircraft on three glide flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in 1952. Although the NACA's High-Speed Flight Station, Edwards, California, (predecessor of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center) never actually flew the X-2 aircraft, the NACA did support the program primarily through Langley Memorial
Date	01.01.1956

X-2 on Transportation Dolly

Title	X-2 on Transportation Dolly
Description	This 1952 photograph shows the X-2 #2 aircraft mounted on a special transportation dolly at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The dolly was steerable and was used for transporting the X-2 around and for towing it off the lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base after a landing. This was the number 2 airplane (46-675), which was lost on May 12, 1953, on a captive flight over Lake Ontario when the airplane exploded during a liquid-oxygen topoff test, killing the pilot, Jean Ziegler, and EB-50A crewman Frank Wolko. Almost no debris was recovered from Lake Ontario, so no cause for the explosion could be determined. Later, however, investigations of similar explosions in the X-1 #3, X-1A, and X-1D traced the problem to Ulmer leather gaskets, which exuded tricresyl phosphate. This substance caused detonations in the supercold atmosphere of the airplanes' liquid oxygen tanks. As the X-2 #2 also had these gaskets, they were probably the cause of the explosion in that aircraft as well. The X-2 was a swept-wing, rocket-powered aircraft designed to fly faster than Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound). It was built for the U.S. Air Force by the Bell Aircraft Company, Buffalo, New York. The X-2 was flown to investigate the problems of aerodynamic heating as well as stability and control effectiveness at high altitudes and high speeds (in excess of Mach 3). Bell aircraft built two X-2 aircraft. These were constructed of K-monel (a copper and nickel alloy) for the fuselage and stainless steel for the swept wings and control surfaces. The aircraft had ejectable nose capsules instead of ejection seats because the development of ejection seats had not reached maturity at the time the X-2 was conceived. The X-2 ejection canopy was successfully tested using a German V-2 rocket. The X-2 used a skid-type landing gear to make room for more fuel. The airplane was air launched from a modified Boeing B-50 Superfortress Bomber. X-2 Number 1 made its first unpowered glide flight on Aug. 5, 1954, and made a total of 17 (4 glide and 13 powered) flights before it was lost Sept. 27, 1956. The pilot on Flight 17, Capt. Milburn Apt, had flown the aircraft to a record speed of Mach 3.2 (2,094 mph), thus becoming the first person to exceed Mach 3. During that last flight, inertial coupling occurred and the pilot was killed. The aircraft suffered little damage in the crash, resulting in proposals (never implemented) from the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, Hampton, Virginia, to rebuild it for use in a hypersonic (Mach 5+) test program. In 1953, X-2 Number 2 was lost in an in-flight explosion while at the Bell Aircraft Company during captive flight trials and was jettisoned into Lake Ontario. The Air Force had previously flown the aircraft on three glide flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in 1952. Although the NACA's High-Speed Flight Station, Edwards, California, (predecessor of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center) never actually flew the X-2 aircraft, the NACA, did support the program primarily through Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory wind-tunnel tests and Wallops Island, Virginia, rocket-model tests. The NACA High-Speed Flight Station also provided stability-and-control recording instrumentation and simulator support for the Air Force flights. In the latter regard, the NACA worked with the Air Force in using a special computer to extrapolate and predict aircraft behavior from flight data.
Date	01.01.1952

Teacher Kim Cantrell from the Edwards Air Force Base Middle School, Edwards, Calif., participating in a live uplink at NASA Dryden as part of NASA's Explorer Schools program, asks the crew of the International Space Station a question.

Teacher Kim Cantrell from th …

Photo Description	Teacher Kim Cantrell from the Edwards Air Force Base Middle School, Edwards, Calif., participating in a live uplink at NASA Dryden as part of NASA's Explorer Schools program, asks the crew of the International Space Station a question.
Photo Date	July 15, 2003

Two NASA Dryden F/A-18s flown by research pilots Frank Batteas and Nils Larson were captured by photographer Lori Losey from a third F/A-18 flown by Dick Ewers as they flew in tight formation over the desert at Edwards Air Force Base.

Two NASA Dryden F/A-18s were …

Photo Description	Two NASA Dryden F/A-18s flown by research pilots Frank Batteas and Nils Larson were captured by photographer Lori Losey from a third F/A-18 flown by Dick Ewers as they flew in tight formation over the desert at Edwards Air Force Base.
Photo Date	May 24, 2007

Retired NASA Dryden research pilot Ed Schneider served as master of ceremonies at the retirement ceremony for NASA's B-52B, on Dec. 17, 2004. Kevin Petersen, NASA Dryden director, Brig. Gen. Curtis Bedke, AFFTC commander, retired NASA Dryden pilot Fitz Fulton, current NASA pilot Gordon Fullerton, and AFFTC chief historian James Young also spoke at the ceremony. Regarded as having participated in more aviation history than any other single aircraft, NASA's famous B-52B mothership aircraft was retired on Dec. 17, 2004. A joint NASA and U.S. Air Force Flight Test Center ceremony marked the occasion, hosted at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

Photo Description	Retired NASA Dryden research pilot Ed Schneider served as master of ceremonies at the retirement ceremony for NASA's B-52B, on Dec. 17, 2004. Kevin Petersen, NASA Dryden director, Brig. Gen. Curtis Bedke, AFFTC commander, retired NASA Dryden pilot Fitz Fulton, current NASA pilot Gordon Fullerton, and AFFTC chief historian James Young also spoke at the ceremony. Regarded as having participated in more aviation history than any other single aircraft, NASA's famous B-52B mothership aircraft was retired on Dec. 17, 2004. A joint NASA and U.S. Air Force Flight Test Center ceremony marked the occasion, hosted at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
Photo Date	December 17, 2004

The second X-45A Unmanned Co …

Photo Date	November 21, 2002

The second X-45A Unmanned Co …

Photo Date	November 21, 2002

The second X-45A Unmanned Co …

Photo Date	November 21, 2002

The second X-45A Unmanned Co …

Photo Date	November 21, 2002

A Beech T-34C mission support aircraft flown by NASA Dryden Flight Research Center shows off its classic lines as it soars over the desert near Edwards Air Force Base.

Photo Description	A Beech T-34C mission support aircraft flown by NASA Dryden Flight Research Center shows off its classic lines as it soars over the desert near Edwards Air Force Base.
Project Description	Chase aircraft such as the T-34C accompany research flights for photography and video purposes. They also provide support for safety and research. At Dryden, the T-34 is used mainly for smaller remotely piloted vehicles which fly slower than NASA's F-18's, used for larger scale projects. The T-34C, built by Beech, carries a crew of 2 and is nicknamed the Mentor.
Photo Date	June 20, 2005

A Beech T-34C flown by NASA Dryden Flight Research Center for mission support descends over the Southern California desert near Edwards Air Force Base.

Photo Description	A Beech T-34C flown by NASA Dryden Flight Research Center for mission support descends over the Southern California desert near Edwards Air Force Base.
Project Description	Chase aircraft such as the T-34C accompany research flights for photography and video purposes. They also provide support for safety and research. At Dryden, the T-34 is used mainly for smaller remotely piloted vehicles which fly slower than NASA's F-18's, used for larger scale projects. The T-34C, built by Beech, carries a crew of 2 and is nicknamed the Mentor.
Photo Date	June 20, 2005

Ikhana Initial Landing After …

DC-8 flying laboratory leave …

The Space Shuttle Columbia glides down over Rogers Dry Lake as it heads for a landing at Edwards Air Force Base at the conclusion of its first orbital mission on April 14, 1981.

Photo Description	The Space Shuttle Columbia glides down over Rogers Dry Lake as it heads for a landing at Edwards Air Force Base at the conclusion of its first orbital mission on April 14, 1981.
Project Description	unknown
Photo Date	April 14, 1981

Complete NACA Muroc Staff of …

Photo Date	Aug. 1954

The Space Shuttle Columbia can be seen in the post-flight processing facility known as the MDD (Mate-Demate Device) at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, CA, in this aerial view taken shortly after completing its first orbital mission with a landing at Edwards Air Force Base.

Photo Description	The Space Shuttle Columbia can be seen in the post-flight processing facility known as the MDD (Mate-Demate Device) at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, CA, in this aerial view taken shortly after completing its first orbital mission with a landing at Edwards Air Force Base.
Photo Date	April, 1981

NASA's venerable B-52B mothership launch aircraft served as the backdrop at its retirement ceremony on Dec. 17, 2004. Regarded as having participated in more aviation history than any other single aircraft, NASA's famous B-52B mothership aircraft was retired on Dec. 17, 2004. A joint NASA and U.S. Air Force Flight Test Center ceremony marked the occasion, hosted at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

Photo Description	NASA's venerable B-52B mothership launch aircraft served as the backdrop at its retirement ceremony on Dec. 17, 2004. Regarded as having participated in more aviation history than any other single aircraft, NASA's famous B-52B mothership aircraft was retired on Dec. 17, 2004. A joint NASA and U.S. Air Force Flight Test Center ceremony marked the occasion, hosted at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
Photo Date	December 17, 2004

Members of the flight and ground crews prepare to unload equipment from NASA's B377SGT Super Guppy Turbine cargo aircraft on the ramp at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The outsize cargo plane had delivered the latest version of the X-38 flight test vehicle to NASA Dryden when this photo was taken on June 11, 2000.

Members of the flight and gr …

Photo Description	Members of the flight and ground crews prepare to unload equipment from NASA's B377SGT Super Guppy Turbine cargo aircraft on the ramp at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The outsize cargo plane had delivered the latest version of the X-38 flight test vehicle to NASA Dryden when this photo was taken on June 11, 2000.
Project Description	The B-377SGT Super Guppy Turbine evolved from the 1960s-vintage Pregnant Guppy, Mini Guppy and Super Guppy, used for transporting sections of the Saturn rocket used for the Apollo program moon launches and other outsized cargo. The various Guppies were modified from 1940's and 50's-vintage Boeing Model 377 and C-97 Stratocruiser airframes by Aero Spacelines, Inc., which operated the aircraft for NASA. NASA's Flight Research Center assisted in certification testing of the first Pregnant Guppy in 1962. One of the turboprop-powered Super Guppies, built up from a YC-97J airframe, last appeared at Dryden in May, 1976 when it was used to transport the HL-10 and X-24B lifting bodies from Dryden to the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. NASA's present Super Guppy Turbine, the fourth and last example of the final version, first flew in its outsized form in 1980. It and its three sister ships were built in the 1970s for Europe's Airbus Industrie to ferry outsized structures for Airbus jetliners to the final assembly plant in Toulouse, France. It later was acquired by the European Space Agency, and then acquired by NASA in late 1997 for transport of large structures for the International Space Station to the launch site. It replaced the earlier-model Super Guppy, which has been retired and is used for spare parts. NASA's Super Guppy Turbine carries NASA registration number N941NA, and is based at Ellington Field near the Johnson Space Center. For more information on NASA's Super Guppy Turbine, log onto the Johnson Space Center Super Guppy web page at http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/assembly/superguppy/
Photo Date	July 11, 2000

Project Description	NASA's two F-15 research aircraft don't get a lot of flight hours, and it's even rarer to have them in the air together on the same mission. But research pilots Jim Smolka and Craig Bomben from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center put the highly modified aircraft through their paces during a mission over the Edwards Air Force Base test range in late July that supported the Intelligent Flight Control System's (IFCS) project.?The canard-equipped F-15B tail number 837, NASA's IFCS aircraft, was flying structural mode validation flights at the time, leading to Generation II IFCS flights planned for later this year. F-15B tail number 836 was flying safety chase as well as for pilot proficiency in air refueling. Both aircraft performed aerial refueling from an Air Force KC-135 tanker aircraft. At the end of the mission, the two joined up for a formation fly-over of their home at NASA Dryden.
Photo Date	July 22, 2005

X-31 wing removal

Photo Date	1995

The third X-43A hypersonic research aircraft and its modified Pegasus booster rocket accelerate after launch from NASA's B-52B launch aircraft over the Pacific Ocean on November 16, 2004. The mission originated from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Minutes later the X-43A separated from the Pegasus booster and accelerated to its intended speed of Mach 10.

Photo Description	The third X-43A hypersonic research aircraft and its modified Pegasus booster rocket accelerate after launch from NASA's B-52B launch aircraft over the Pacific Ocean on November 16, 2004. The mission originated from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Minutes later the X-43A separated from the Pegasus booster and accelerated to its intended speed of Mach 10.
Project Description	The high-risk, high-payoff X-43A flights are the first actual flight tests of an aircraft powered by a scramjet engine capable of operating at hypersonic speeds (above Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound). The X-43A is powered by a revolutionary air-breathing supersonic-combustion ramjet or "scramjet" engine.
Photo Date	November 16, 2004

The third X-43A hypersonic research aircraft, attached to a modified Pegasus booster rocket, was taken to launch altitude by NASA's B-52B launch aircraft from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on November 16, 2004. About an hour later the Pegasus booster was released from the B-52 to accelerate the X-43A to its intended speed of Mach 10.

Photo Description	The third X-43A hypersonic research aircraft, attached to a modified Pegasus booster rocket, was taken to launch altitude by NASA's B-52B launch aircraft from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on November 16, 2004. About an hour later the Pegasus booster was released from the B-52 to accelerate the X-43A to its intended speed of Mach 10.
Project Description	The high-risk, high-payoff X-43A flights are the first actual flight tests of an aircraft powered by a scramjet engine capable of operating at hypersonic speeds (above Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound). The X-43A is powered by a revolutionary air-breathing supersonic-combustion ramjet or "scramjet" engine.
Photo Date	November 16, 2004

The third X-43A hypersonic research aircraft and its modified Pegasus booster rocket drop away from NASA's B-52B launch aircraft over the Pacific Ocean on November 16, 2004. The mission originated from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Moments later the Pegasus booster ignited to accelerate the X-43A to its intended speed of Mach 10.

Photo Description	The third X-43A hypersonic research aircraft and its modified Pegasus booster rocket drop away from NASA's B-52B launch aircraft over the Pacific Ocean on November 16, 2004. The mission originated from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Moments later the Pegasus booster ignited to accelerate the X-43A to its intended speed of Mach 10.
Project Description	The high-risk, high-payoff X-43A flights are the first actual flight tests of an aircraft powered by a scramjet engine capable of operating at hypersonic speeds (above Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound). The X-43A is powered by a revolutionary air-breathing supersonic-combustion ramjet or "scramjet" engine.
Photo Date	November 16, 2004

The third X-43A hypersonic research aircraft and its modified Pegasus booster rocket left the runway, carried aloft by NASA's B-52B launch aircraft from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on November 16, 2004. About an hour later the Pegasus booster was launched from the B-52 to accelerate the X-43A to its intended speed of Mach 10.

Photo Description	The third X-43A hypersonic research aircraft and its modified Pegasus booster rocket left the runway, carried aloft by NASA's B-52B launch aircraft from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on November 16, 2004. About an hour later the Pegasus booster was launched from the B-52 to accelerate the X-43A to its intended speed of Mach 10.
Project Description	The high-risk, high-payoff X-43A flights are the first actual flight tests of an aircraft powered by a scramjet engine capable of operating at hypersonic speeds (above Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound). The X-43A is powered by a revolutionary air-breathing supersonic-combustion ramjet or "scramjet" engine.
Photo Date	November 16, 2004

NASA's B-52 takes the X-38 a …

Photo Date	July 10, 2001

X-45A Unmanned Combat Air Ve …

Photo Date	May 22, 2002

X-45A Unmanned Combat Air Ve …

Photo Date	May 22, 2002

X-45A Unmanned Combat Air Ve …

Photo Date	May 22, 2002

X-45A Unmanned Combat Air Ve …

Photo Date	May 22, 2002

The Space Shuttle Columbia g …

Photo Date	April 14, 1981

A long string of specialized NASA vehicles convoys down a taxiway at Edwards Air Force Base to begin a Space Shuttle rescue and recovery training exercise.

Photo Description	A long string of specialized NASA vehicles convoys down a taxiway at Edwards Air Force Base to begin a Space Shuttle rescue and recovery training exercise.
Photo Date	April 16, 2005

The Space Shuttle Columbia touches down on lakebed runway 23 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to conclude the first orbital shuttle mission.

Photo Description	The Space Shuttle Columbia touches down on lakebed runway 23 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to conclude the first orbital shuttle mission.
Photo Date	April 14, 1981

TOUCHDOWN! -- The Space Shuttle Columbia touches down on lakebed runway 23 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to conclude the first orbital shuttle mission, April 14, 1981.

The Space Shuttle Columbia t …

Photo Description	TOUCHDOWN! -- The Space Shuttle Columbia touches down on lakebed runway 23 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to conclude the first orbital shuttle mission, April 14, 1981.
Photo Date	April 14, 1981

The Space Shuttle Columbia touches down on lakebed runway 23 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to conclude the first orbital shuttle mission. (JSC photo # S81-30734)

Photo Description	The Space Shuttle Columbia touches down on lakebed runway 23 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to conclude the first orbital shuttle mission. (JSC photo # S81-30734)
Project Description	Space Shuttle STS-1
Photo Date	April 14, 1981

In this 1949 photograph a D-558-2 is being towed across Rogers Dry Lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base. The aircraft is still equipped with a jet engine, used for ground takeoffs. On the tail of the Skyrocket is the old NACA shield, replaced in the 1950s by a yellow band and a winged "NACA."

D-558-2 being towed on lakeb …

Photo Description	In this 1949 photograph a D-558-2 is being towed across Rogers Dry Lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base. The aircraft is still equipped with a jet engine, used for ground takeoffs. On the tail of the Skyrocket is the old NACA shield, replaced in the 1950s by a yellow band and a winged "NACA."
Photo Date	1949

The SOFIA flight crew, consisting of Co-pilot Gordon Fullerton, DFRC, Pilot Bill Brocket, DFRC, Test Conductor Marty Trout, DFRC, Test Engineer Don Stonebrook, L-3, and Flight Engineer Larry Larose, JSC, descend the stairs after ferrying the 747SP airborne observatory from Waco, Texas, to its new home at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California. NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, arrived at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. on May 31, 2007. The heavily modified Boeing 747SP was ferried to Dryden from Waco, Texas, where L-3 Communications Integrated Systems installed a German-built 2.5-meter infrared telescope and made other major modifications over the past several years. SOFIA is scheduled to undergo installation and integration of mission systems and a multi-phase flight test program at Dryden over the next three years that is expected to lead to a full operational capability to conduct astronomy missions in about 2010. During its expected 20-year lifetime, SOFIA will be capable of "Great Observatory" class astronomical science, providing astronomers with access to the visible, infrared and sub-millimeter spectrum with optimized performance in the mid-infrared to sub-millimeter range.

The SOFIA flight crew descen …

Photo Description	The SOFIA flight crew, consisting of Co-pilot Gordon Fullerton, DFRC, Pilot Bill Brocket, DFRC, Test Conductor Marty Trout, DFRC, Test Engineer Don Stonebrook, L-3, and Flight Engineer Larry Larose, JSC, descend the stairs after ferrying the 747SP airborne observatory from Waco, Texas, to its new home at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California. NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, arrived at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. on May 31, 2007. The heavily modified Boeing 747SP was ferried to Dryden from Waco, Texas, where L-3 Communications Integrated Systems installed a German-built 2.5-meter infrared telescope and made other major modifications over the past several years. SOFIA is scheduled to undergo installation and integration of mission systems and a multi-phase flight test program at Dryden over the next three years that is expected to lead to a full operational capability to conduct astronomy missions in about 2010. During its expected 20-year lifetime, SOFIA will be capable of "Great Observatory" class astronomical science, providing astronomers with access to the visible, infrared and sub-millimeter spectrum with optimized performance in the mid-infrared to sub-millimeter range.
Project Description	NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is being developed as a world-class observatory complementing the Hubble Space Telescope. The observatory, which features a German-built 98.4-inch (2.5 meter) diameter infrared telescope weighing 20 metric tons mounted in a highly-modified Boeing 747SP aircraft, has begun its flight test phase in a joint program by NASA and DLR Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft und Raumfahrt (German Aerospace Center). Major aircraft modifications and installation of the telescope was performed by L-3 Communications Integrated Systems facility at Waco, Texas. Systems integration and flight test operations are being conducted at NASA's Dryden Flight Resarch Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. SOFIA's science and mission operations are managed jointly by the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) and the Deutsches SOFIA Institut (DSI), and are based at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field near San Jose, Calif. Once operational in the 2009-2010 period, SOFIA will be the world's primary infrared observatory during a mission lasting up to 20 years, as well as an outstanding laboratory for developing and testing instrumentation and detector technology.
Photo Date	May 31, 2007

NASA's SOFIA 747SP bearing a German-built 2.5-meter infrared telescope in its rear fuselage taxis up to NASA Dryden's ramp after a ferry flight from Waco, Texas. NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, arrived at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. on May 31, 2007. The heavily modified Boeing 747SP was ferried to Dryden from Waco, Texas, where L-3 Communications Integrated Systems installed a German-built 2.5-meter infrared telescope and made other major modifications over the past several years. SOFIA is scheduled to undergo installation and integration of mission systems and a multi-phase flight test program at Dryden over the next three years that is expected to lead to a full operational capability to conduct astronomy missions in about 2010. During its expected 20-year lifetime, SOFIA will be capable of "Great Observatory" class astronomical science, providing astronomers with access to the visible, infrared and sub-millimeter spectrum with optimized performance in the mid-infrared to sub-millimeter range.

NASA's SOFIA 747SP bearing a …

Photo Description	NASA's SOFIA 747SP bearing a German-built 2.5-meter infrared telescope in its rear fuselage taxis up to NASA Dryden's ramp after a ferry flight from Waco, Texas. NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, arrived at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. on May 31, 2007. The heavily modified Boeing 747SP was ferried to Dryden from Waco, Texas, where L-3 Communications Integrated Systems installed a German-built 2.5-meter infrared telescope and made other major modifications over the past several years. SOFIA is scheduled to undergo installation and integration of mission systems and a multi-phase flight test program at Dryden over the next three years that is expected to lead to a full operational capability to conduct astronomy missions in about 2010. During its expected 20-year lifetime, SOFIA will be capable of "Great Observatory" class astronomical science, providing astronomers with access to the visible, infrared and sub-millimeter spectrum with optimized performance in the mid-infrared to sub-millimeter range.
Project Description	NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is being developed as a world-class observatory complementing the Hubble Space Telescope. The observatory, which features a German-built 98.4-inch (2.5 meter) diameter infrared telescope weighing 20 metric tons mounted in a highly-modified Boeing 747SP aircraft, has begun its flight test phase in a joint program by NASA and DLR Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft und Raumfahrt (German Aerospace Center). Major aircraft modifications and installation of the telescope was performed by L-3 Communications Integrated Systems facility at Waco, Texas. Systems integration and flight test operations are being conducted at NASA's Dryden Flight Resarch Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. SOFIA's science and mission operations are managed jointly by the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) and the Deutsches SOFIA Institut (DSI), and are based at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field near San Jose, Calif. Once operational in the 2009-2010 period, SOFIA will be the world's primary infrared observatory during a mission lasting up to 20 years, as well as an outstanding laboratory for developing and testing instrumentation and detector technology.
Photo Date	May 31, 2007

After completing a milestone autonomous station-keeping formation, two F/A-18B aircraft from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, return to base in close formation with the autonomous function disengaged. For the milestone, the aircraft were spaced approximately 200 feet nose-to-tail and 50 feet apart laterally and vertically. Autonomous formation control was maintained by the trailing aircraft, the Systems Research Aircraft (SRA), in the lateral and vertical axes to within five feet of the commanded position. Nose-to-tail separation of the aircraft was controlled by manual throttle inputs by the trailing aircraft's pilot. The milestone was accomplished on the seventh flight of a 12 flight phase. The AFF flights were a first for a project under NASA's Revolutionary (RevCon) in Aeronautics Project. Dryden is the lead NASA center for RevCon, an endeavor to accelerate the exploration of high-risk, revolutionary technologies in atmospheric flight. Automated formation flight could lead to formation fuel efficiencies and higher air traffic capacity. In the background is the U. S. Borax mine, Boron, California, near the Dryden/Edwards Air Force Base complex.

Two F/A-18B aircraft involve …

Photo Description	After completing a milestone autonomous station-keeping formation, two F/A-18B aircraft from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, return to base in close formation with the autonomous function disengaged. For the milestone, the aircraft were spaced approximately 200 feet nose-to-tail and 50 feet apart laterally and vertically. Autonomous formation control was maintained by the trailing aircraft, the Systems Research Aircraft (SRA), in the lateral and vertical axes to within five feet of the commanded position. Nose-to-tail separation of the aircraft was controlled by manual throttle inputs by the trailing aircraft's pilot. The milestone was accomplished on the seventh flight of a 12 flight phase. The AFF flights were a first for a project under NASA's Revolutionary (RevCon) in Aeronautics Project. Dryden is the lead NASA center for RevCon, an endeavor to accelerate the exploration of high-risk, revolutionary technologies in atmospheric flight. Automated formation flight could lead to formation fuel efficiencies and higher air traffic capacity. In the background is the U. S. Borax mine, Boron, California, near the Dryden/Edwards Air Force Base complex.
Project Description	Autonomous Formation Flight (AFF) is intended to allow an aircraft to fly in close formation over long distances using advanced positioning and controls technology. It utilizes Global Positioning System satellites and inertial navigation systems to position two or more aircraft in formation, with an accuracy of a few inches. This capability is expected to yield fuel efficiency improvements.
Photo Date	February 21, 2001

With landing gear and flaps down, NASA Dryden's Active Aeroelastic Wing F/A-18A research aircraft rolls towards final approach to the Edwards Air Force Base runway at the end of a test flight.

Active Aeroelastic Wing F/A- …

Photo Description	With landing gear and flaps down, NASA Dryden's Active Aeroelastic Wing F/A-18A research aircraft rolls towards final approach to the Edwards Air Force Base runway at the end of a test flight.
Project Description	The Active Aeroelastic Wing project at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center is a two-phase flight research program that is investigating the potential of aerodynamically twisting flexible wings to improve roll maneuverability of high-performance aircraft at transonic and supersonic speeds. Traditional control surfaces such as ailerons and leading-edge flaps are used as active trim tabs to aerodynamically induce the twist. From flight test and simulation data, the program is developing structural modeling techniques and tools to help design lighter, more flexible high aspect-ratio wings for future high-performance aircraft, which could translate to more economical operation or greater payload capability. The program uses a modified F/A-18A Hornet as its testbed aircraft, with wings that were modified to the flexibility of the original pre-production F-18 wing. Other aircraft modifications include a new actuator to operate the outboard portion of a divided leading edge flap over a greater range and rate, and a research flight control system to host the aeroelastic wing control laws. AAW flight tests began in November, 2002 with checkout and parameter-identification flights. Based on data obtained during 50 research flights over a five-month period, new AAW flight control software was then developed over the following year. A second series of research flights began in late 2004 evaluated the AAW concept in a real-world flight environment, using the newly created control laws in the aircaft's research flight control computer. About 45 research missions were flown over a four-month period in the second phase of flight testing that concluded in March, 2005. Extensive analysis of data acquired during the project is continuing at NASA Dryden. The Active Aeroelastic Wing Program is jointly funded and managed by the Air Force Research Laboratory and NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, with Boeing's Phantom Works as prime contractor for wing modifications and flight control software development. The F/A-18A aircraft was provided by the Naval Aviation Systems Test Team and modified for its research role by NASA Dryden technicians.
Photo Date	February 7, 2003

NASA's Ikhana unmanned science demonstration aircraft over the U.S. Borax mine, Boron, California, near the Dryden/Edwards Air Force Base complex. NASA took possession of the new aircraft in November, 2006, and it arrived at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, Calif., on June 23, 2007.

Photo Description	NASA's Ikhana unmanned science demonstration aircraft over the U.S. Borax mine, Boron, California, near the Dryden/Edwards Air Force Base complex. NASA took possession of the new aircraft in November, 2006, and it arrived at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, Calif., on June 23, 2007.
Project Description	A Predator B unmanned aircraft system has joined the inventory of research aircraft at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. Built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. of San Diego, NASA took possession of the new aircraft in November, 2006, and it arrived at the NASA center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on June 23, 2007. The aircraft has been given the Choctaw Nation name "Ikhana" (pronounced ee-kah-nah), which means intelligent, conscious or aware. Designed for long-endurance, high-altitude flight, Ikhana will be flown primarily on Earth science missions under the Earth Science Capability Demonstrations project at NASA Dryden. It will also be used for advanced aircraft systems research and technology development. As part of the Ikhana/Predator B acquisition, NASA also purchased a ground control station and satellite communication system for control of the aircraft and transmittal of research data. The ground control station is in a mobile trailer and, in addition to the pilot's "cockpit," includes computer workstations for scientists and engineers. All of the aircraft systems are mobile, making Ikhana ideal for remote studies. The aircraft has a wingspan of 66 feet and is 36 feet long. More than 400 pounds of sensors can be carried internally and over 2,000 pounds in external wing pods. Ikhana is powered by a Honeywell TPE 331-10T turbine engine and is capable of reaching altitudes well above 40,000 feet. This aircraft is the first production Predator B equipped with an upgraded digital electronic engine controller (DEEC) developed by Honeywell and GA-ASI that will make Ikhana five to 10 percent more fuel efficient.
Photo Date	June 23, 2007

Airborne images of the Willo …

9/3/99

Date	9/3/99
Description	Airborne images of the Willow fire in Southern California's San Bernardino County, taken September 1 from a NASA ER-2 airplane, show the blaze in wavelengths that are not visible to the naked eye. This set of infrared snapshots, taken by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer, represents all of the infrared camera's 224 spectral channels, stacked in the image-cube format to depict the full AVIRIS measurement. The top and right panels show the full spectrum measured for each spatial element along the along the edge of the image. Spectroscopic or color analysis enables scientists to determine temperature variations, adjacent vegetation type and biomass, as well as the water content of leaves in the vegetation. These are important factors for understanding, controlling and extinguishing fires. AVIRIS was designed, built and is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise. Data collection are made possible by NASA's ER-2 aircraft, which is housed at the Dryden Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, CA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. #####

Aerial views of NASA Dryden …

NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) Boeing 747SP flies over NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center after a ferry flight from Waco, Texas. NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, arrived at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. on May 31, 2007. The heavily modified Boeing 747SP was ferried to Dryden from Waco, Texas, where L-3 Communications Integrated Systems installed a German-built 2.5-meter infrared telescope and made other major modifications over the past several years. SOFIA is scheduled to undergo installation and integration of mission systems and a multi-phase flight test program at Dryden over the next three years that is expected to lead to a full operational capability to conduct astronomy missions in about 2010. During its expected 20-year lifetime, SOFIA will be capable of "Great Observatory" class astronomical science, providing astronomers with access to the visible, infrared and sub-millimeter spectrum with optimized performance in the mid-infrared to sub-millimeter range.

Photo Description	NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) Boeing 747SP flies over NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center after a ferry flight from Waco, Texas. NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, arrived at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. on May 31, 2007. The heavily modified Boeing 747SP was ferried to Dryden from Waco, Texas, where L-3 Communications Integrated Systems installed a German-built 2.5-meter infrared telescope and made other major modifications over the past several years. SOFIA is scheduled to undergo installation and integration of mission systems and a multi-phase flight test program at Dryden over the next three years that is expected to lead to a full operational capability to conduct astronomy missions in about 2010. During its expected 20-year lifetime, SOFIA will be capable of "Great Observatory" class astronomical science, providing astronomers with access to the visible, infrared and sub-millimeter spectrum with optimized performance in the mid-infrared to sub-millimeter range.
Project Description	NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is being developed as a world-class observatory complementing the Hubble Space Telescope. The observatory, which features a German-built 98.4-inch (2.5 meter) diameter infrared telescope weighing 20 metric tons mounted in a highly-modified Boeing 747SP aircraft, has begun its flight test phase in a joint program by NASA and DLR Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft und Raumfahrt (German Aerospace Center). Major aircraft modifications and installation of the telescope was performed by L-3 Communications Integrated Systems facility at Waco, Texas. Systems integration and flight test operations are being conducted at NASA's Dryden Flight Resarch Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. SOFIA's science and mission operations are managed jointly by the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) and the Deutsches SOFIA Institut (DSI), and are based at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field near San Jose, Calif. Once operational in the 2009-2010 period, SOFIA will be the world's primary infrared observatory during a mission lasting up to 20 years, as well as an outstanding laboratory for developing and testing instrumentation and detector technology.
Photo Date	May 31, 2007

NASA's SOFIA airborne observatory lands at Edwards AFB after being flown from Waco, Texas to NASA Dryden for systems installation, integration and flight test. NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, arrived at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. on May 31, 2007. The heavily modified Boeing 747SP was ferried to Dryden from Waco, Texas, where L-3 Communications Integrated Systems installed a German-built 2.5-meter infrared telescope and made other major modifications over the past several years. SOFIA is scheduled to undergo installation and integration of mission systems and a multi-phase flight test program at Dryden over the next three years that is expected to lead to a full operational capability to conduct astronomy missions in about 2010. During its expected 20-year lifetime, SOFIA will be capable of "Great Observatory" class astronomical science, providing astronomers with access to the visible, infrared and sub-millimeter spectrum with optimized performance in the mid-infrared to sub-millimeter range.

Photo Description	NASA's SOFIA airborne observatory lands at Edwards AFB after being flown from Waco, Texas to NASA Dryden for systems installation, integration and flight test. NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, arrived at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. on May 31, 2007. The heavily modified Boeing 747SP was ferried to Dryden from Waco, Texas, where L-3 Communications Integrated Systems installed a German-built 2.5-meter infrared telescope and made other major modifications over the past several years. SOFIA is scheduled to undergo installation and integration of mission systems and a multi-phase flight test program at Dryden over the next three years that is expected to lead to a full operational capability to conduct astronomy missions in about 2010. During its expected 20-year lifetime, SOFIA will be capable of "Great Observatory" class astronomical science, providing astronomers with access to the visible, infrared and sub-millimeter spectrum with optimized performance in the mid-infrared to sub-millimeter range.
Project Description	NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is being developed as a world-class observatory complementing the Hubble Space Telescope. The observatory, which features a German-built 98.4-inch (2.5 meter) diameter infrared telescope weighing 20 metric tons mounted in a highly-modified Boeing 747SP aircraft, has begun its flight test phase in a joint program by NASA and DLR Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft und Raumfahrt (German Aerospace Center). Major aircraft modifications and installation of the telescope was performed by L-3 Communications Integrated Systems facility at Waco, Texas. Systems integration and flight test operations are being conducted at NASA's Dryden Flight Resarch Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. SOFIA's science and mission operations are managed jointly by the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) and the Deutsches SOFIA Institut (DSI), and are based at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field near San Jose, Calif. Once operational in the 2009-2010 period, SOFIA will be the world's primary infrared observatory during a mission lasting up to 20 years, as well as an outstanding laboratory for developing and testing instrumentation and detector technology.
Photo Date	May 31, 2007

NASA's DC-8 Airborne Science platform landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, to join the fleet of aircraft at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. The white aircraft with a blue stripe running horizontally from the nose to the tail is shown with its main landing gear just above the runway. The former airliner is a "dash-72" model and has a range of 5,400 miles. The craft can stay airborne for 12 hours and has an operational speed range between 300 and 500 knots. The research flights are made at between 500 and 41,000 feet. The aircraft can carry up to 30,000 lbs of research/science payload equipment installed in 15 mission-definable spaces.

DC-8 Airborne Laboratory arr …

Photo Description	NASA's DC-8 Airborne Science platform landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, to join the fleet of aircraft at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. The white aircraft with a blue stripe running horizontally from the nose to the tail is shown with its main landing gear just above the runway. The former airliner is a "dash-72" model and has a range of 5,400 miles. The craft can stay airborne for 12 hours and has an operational speed range between 300 and 500 knots. The research flights are made at between 500 and 41,000 feet. The aircraft can carry up to 30,000 lbs of research/science payload equipment installed in 15 mission-definable spaces.
Project Description	NASA used a DC-8 aircraft as a flying science laboratory. The platform aircraft, was based at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., collected data for many experiments in support of scientific projects serving the world scientific community. Included in this community were NASA, federal, state, academic and foreign investigators. Data gathered by the DC-8 at flight altitude and by remote sensing has been used for scientific studies in archeology, ecology, geography, hydrology, meteorology, oceanography, volcanology, atmospheric chemistry, soil science and biology.
Photo Date	December 29, 1997

Photo Description	unknown
Project Description	The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000.
Photo Date	30 Apr 1999

Photo Description	unknown
Project Description	The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000.
Photo Date	30 Apr 1999

Photo Description	unknown
Project Description	The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000.
Photo Date	30 Apr 1999

Photo Description	unknown
Project Description	The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000.
Photo Date	30 Apr 1999

Photo Description	unknown
Project Description	The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000.
Photo Date	30 Apr 1999

Photo Description	unknown
Project Description	The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000.
Photo Date	30 Apr 1999

Photo Description	unknown
Project Description	The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000.
Photo Date	30 Apr 1999

Photo Description	unknown
Project Description	The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000.
Photo Date	30 Apr 1999

Photo Description	unknown
Project Description	The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000.
Photo Date	April 16, 1999

Photo Description	unknown
Project Description	The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000.
Photo Date	June 29, 1999

Photo Description	unknown
Project Description	The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000.
Photo Date	June 29, 1999

Photo Description	unknown
Project Description	The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000.
Photo Date	1999

Photo Description	unknown
Project Description	The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000.
Photo Date	October 1999

Photo Description	unknown
Project Description	The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000.
Photo Date	30 Apr 1999

Photo Description	unknown
Project Description	The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000.
Photo Date	June 29, 1999

Photo Description	unknown
Project Description	The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000.
Photo Date	October 1999

NASA space shuttle Columbia …

Photo Date	March 1, 2001

NASA space shuttle Columbia …

Photo Date	March 1, 2001

NASA space shuttle Columbia …

Photo Date	March 1, 2001

NASA engineer Wayne Peterson …

Photo Date	December 13, 2001

F-18 SRA in flight over lake …

Photo Date	July 12, 1993

F-18 SRA landing

Photo Date	May 1996

Air Force fire/rescue crew enter the space shuttle cabin mockup hatch to evacuate the shuttle crew during a shuttle rescue training exercise at Edwards AFB. (USAF photo # 070505-F-1287F-118)

Photo Description	Air Force fire/rescue crew enter the space shuttle cabin mockup hatch to evacuate the shuttle crew during a shuttle rescue training exercise at Edwards AFB. (USAF photo # 070505-F-1287F-118)
Project Description	Personnel from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center and Edwards Air Force Base conducted a training exercise on May 5, 2007, that would enable them to effectively handle the rescue of a space shuttle crew in the unlikely event of a landing mishap at the base. The exercises are held periodically to train Air Force fire/rescue and medical crews in aiding the shuttle crew in exiting the shuttle after a simulated landing mishap on or near the Edwards runway, escaping from the mishap area, and after triage assessment, safely evacuating injured crew members. Although NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is the landing site of choice for space shuttle missions, Edwards AFB remains the primary alternate landing site in case weather or other situations preclude Florida as a landing option.
Photo Date	May 5, 2007

Air Force rescue team members load the volunteer "injured astronaut" on a stretcher into a Blackhawk helicopter for evacuation to a hospital during the exercise. (USAF photo # 070505-F-1287F-166)

Photo Description	Air Force rescue team members load the volunteer "injured astronaut" on a stretcher into a Blackhawk helicopter for evacuation to a hospital during the exercise. (USAF photo # 070505-F-1287F-166)
Project Description	Personnel from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center and Edwards Air Force Base conducted a training exercise on May 5, 2007, that would enable them to effectively handle the rescue of a space shuttle crew in the unlikely event of a landing mishap at the base. The exercises are held periodically to train Air Force fire/rescue and medical crews in aiding the shuttle crew in exiting the shuttle after a simulated landing mishap on or near the Edwards runway, escaping from the mishap area, and after triage assessment, safely evacuating injured crew members. Although NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is the landing site of choice for space shuttle missions, Edwards AFB remains the primary alternate landing site in case weather or other situations preclude Florida as a landing option.
Photo Date	May 5, 2007

Air Force fire/rescue crew place a volunteer "injured astronaut" on a stretcher after exiting the shuttle cabin mockup during the training exercise. (USAF photo # 070505-F-1287F-126)

Air Force fire/rescue crew p …

Photo Description	Air Force fire/rescue crew place a volunteer "injured astronaut" on a stretcher after exiting the shuttle cabin mockup during the training exercise. (USAF photo # 070505-F-1287F-126)
Project Description	Personnel from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center and Edwards Air Force Base conducted a training exercise on May 5, 2007, that would enable them to effectively handle the rescue of a space shuttle crew in the unlikely event of a landing mishap at the base. The exercises are held periodically to train Air Force fire/rescue and medical crews in aiding the shuttle crew in exiting the shuttle after a simulated landing mishap on or near the Edwards runway, escaping from the mishap area, and after triage assessment, safely evacuating injured crew members. Although NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is the landing site of choice for space shuttle missions, Edwards AFB remains the primary alternate landing site in case weather or other situations preclude Florida as a landing option.
Photo Date	May 5, 2007

Complete with makeup to simulate facial injuries, a volunteer "astronaut" is tended to by aeromedical rescue staff after evacuation from the shuttle mockup. (USAF photo # 070505-F-1287F-145)

Photo Description	Complete with makeup to simulate facial injuries, a volunteer "astronaut" is tended to by aeromedical rescue staff after evacuation from the shuttle mockup. (USAF photo # 070505-F-1287F-145)
Project Description	Personnel from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center and Edwards Air Force Base conducted a training exercise on May 5, 2007, that would enable them to effectively handle the rescue of a space shuttle crew in the unlikely event of a landing mishap at the base. The exercises are held periodically to train Air Force fire/rescue and medical crews in aiding the shuttle crew in exiting the shuttle after a simulated landing mishap on or near the Edwards runway, escaping from the mishap area, and after triage assessment, safely evacuating injured crew members. Although NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is the landing site of choice for space shuttle missions, Edwards AFB remains the primary alternate landing site in case weather or other situations preclude Florida as a landing option.
Photo Date	May 5, 2007

Clad in thermal protection suits, fire/rescue crew aid a volunteer "Injured astronaut" to a head-first ride down the exit slide from the shuttle cabin mockup. (USAF photo # 070505-F-1287F-132)

Photo Description	Clad in thermal protection suits, fire/rescue crew aid a volunteer "Injured astronaut" to a head-first ride down the exit slide from the shuttle cabin mockup. (USAF photo # 070505-F-1287F-132)
Project Description	Personnel from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center and Edwards Air Force Base conducted a training exercise on May 5, 2007, that would enable them to effectively handle the rescue of a space shuttle crew in the unlikely event of a landing mishap at the base. The exercises are held periodically to train Air Force fire/rescue and medical crews in aiding the shuttle crew in exiting the shuttle after a simulated landing mishap on or near the Edwards runway, escaping from the mishap area, and after triage assessment, safely evacuating injured crew members. Although NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is the landing site of choice for space shuttle missions, Edwards AFB remains the primary alternate landing site in case weather or other situations preclude Florida as a landing option.
Photo Date	May 5, 2007

The unique manta-ray shaped planform of the Blended Wing Body X-48B is evidenced as the subscale demonstrator soars over Edwards AFB on its first test flight.

The unique manta-ray shaped …

Photo Description	The unique manta-ray shaped planform of the Blended Wing Body X-48B is evidenced as the subscale demonstrator soars over Edwards AFB on its first test flight.
Project Description	Boeing Phantom Works' subscale Blended Wing Body technology demonstration aircraft began its initial flight tests from NASA?s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. in the summer of 2007. The 8.5 percent dynamically scaled unmanned aircraft, designated the X-48B by the Air Force, is designed to mimic the aerodynamic characteristics of a full-scale large cargo transport aircraft with the same blended wing body shape. The initial flight tests focused on evaluation of the X-48B's low-speed flight characteristics and handling qualities. About 25 flights were planned to gather data in these low-speed flight regimes. Based on the results of the initial flight test series, a second set of flight tests was planned to test the aircraft's low-noise and handling characteristics at transonic speeds.
Photo Date	July 20, 2007

Ikhana Flying Over Californi …

Dryden Prepares Discovery fo …

Air-to-Air Video of SOFIA Ai …

X-2 in flight after drop fro …

Title	X-2 in flight after drop from B-50 mothership
Description	The Bell Aircraft Company X-2 (46-674) drops away from its Boeing B-50 mothership in this photo. Lt. Col. Frank "Pete" Everest piloted 674 on its first unpowered flight on 5 August 1954. He made the first rocket-powered flight on 18 November 1955. Everest made the first supersonic X-2 flight in 674 on 25 April 1956, achieving a speed of Mach 1.40. In July, he reached Mach 2.87, just short of the Mach 3 goal. The other X-2, 675, was written off prior to making any powered flights. An explosion during a captive flight resulted in the death of Bell test pilot Jean "Skip" Ziegler. The X-2 was jettisoned over Lake Ontario, and the launch aircraft was damaged beyond repair. The first X-2, 674, continued flying, making a total of 17 launches. On 7 September 1956, Capt. Iven Kincheloe became the first man to exceed 100,000 feet when he reached an altitude of 126,200 feet in 674. The X-2, initially an Air Force program, was scheduled to be transferred to the civilian National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) for scientific research. The Air Force delayed turning the aircraft over to the NACA in the hope of attaining Mach 3 in the airplane. The service requested and received a two-month extension to qualify another Air Force test pilot, Capt. Miburn "Mel" Apt, in the X-2 and attempt to exceed Mach 3. After several ground briefings in the simulator, Apt (with no previous rocket plane experience) made his flight on 27 September 1956. Apt raced away from the B-50 under full power, quickly outdistancing the F-100 chase planes. At high altitude, he nosed over, accelerating rapidly. The X-2 reached Mach 3.2 (2,094 mph) at 65,000 feet. Apt became the first man to fly more than three times the speed of sound. Still above Mach 3, he began an abrupt turn back to Edwards. This maneuver proved fatal as the X-2 began a series of diverging rolls and tumbled out of control. Apt tried to regain control of the aircraft. Unable to do so, Apt separated the escape capsule. Too late, he attempted to bail out and was killed when the capsule impacted on the Edwards bombing range. The rest of the X-2 crashed five miles away. The X-2 was a swept-wing, rocket-powered aircraft designed to fly faster than Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound). It was built for the U.S. Air Force by the Bell Aircraft Company, Buffalo, New York. The X-2 was flown to investigate the problems of aerodynamic heating as well as stability and control effectiveness at high altitudes and high speeds (in excess of Mach 3). Bell aircraft built two X-2 aircraft. These were constructed of K-monel (a copper and nickel alloy) for the fuselage and stainless steel for the swept wings and control surfaces. The aircraft had ejectable nose capsules instead of ejection seats because the development of ejection seats had not reached maturity at the time the X-2 was conceived. The X-2 ejection canopy was successfully tested using a German V-2 rocket. The X-2 used a skid-type landing gear to make room for more, fuel. The airplane was air launched from a modified Boeing B-50 Superfortress Bomber. X-2 Number 1 made its first unpowered glide flight on Aug. 5, 1954, and made a total of 17 (4 glide and 13 powered) flights before it was lost Sept. 27, 1956. The pilot on Flight 17, Capt. Milburn Apt, had flown the aircraft to a record speed of Mach 3.2 (2,094 mph), thus becoming the first person to exceed Mach 3. During that last flight, inertial coupling occurred and the pilot was killed. The aircraft suffered little damage in the crash, resulting in proposals (never implemented) from the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, Hampton, Virginia, to rebuild it for use in a hypersonic (Mach 5+) test program. In 1953, X-2 Number 2 was lost in an in-flight explosion while at the Bell Aircraft Company during captive flight trials and was jettisoned into Lake Ontario. The Air Force had previously flown the aircraft on three glide flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in 1952. Although the NACA's High-Speed Flight Station, Edwards, California, (predecessor of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center) never actually flew the X-2 aircraft, the NACA did support the program primarily through Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory wind-tunnel tests and Wallops Island, Virginia, rocket-model tests. The NACA High-Speed Flight Station also provided stability and control recording instrumentation and simulator support for the Air Force flights. In the latter regard, the NACA worked with the Air Force in using a special computer to extrapolate and predict aircraft behavior from flight data.
Date	01.01.1956

X-1B on Lakebed

Title	X-1B on Lakebed
Description	The Bell Aircraft Corporation X-1B, seen here on the lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, was first flown for 10 flights in a three-month period by eight Edwards Air Force pilots. After being turned over to the NACA High-Speed Flight Station, it was sent to Langley Aeronautical Laboratory for instrumentation to measure structural temperatures. It was returned to the NACA High-Speed Flight Station in June 1956 for an aerodynamic heating research program at speeds near Mach 2. In January 1957 NACA test pilot Jack McKay extended the investigation to Mach 1.94. Project aeronautical engineers believed the data to be representative of heating conditions that could be expected on future Mach 2 military aircraft. The Bell X-1B was a second-generation X-1 used by the U.S. Air Force for pilot familiarization before being turned over to NACA in December 1954. The X-1B had a modified fuselage with greater capacity for fuel tanks, an improved cockpit, and a turbopump fuel system as compared with the X-1. The NACA used the X-1B primarily for aerodynamic heating and reaction-control research from 1956 to 1958. The aircraft was fitted with special instrumentation for exploratory aerodynamic heating tests. It had over 300 thermocouples installed on it. The X-1B was the first aircraft to fly with a reaction-control system, a prototype of the reaction-control system used on the X-15 and other piloted test aircraft. The X-1B was given to the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Dayton, Ohio, on January 27, 1959, for preservation and display. This aircraft completed a total of 27 glide and powered flights by eight U.S. Air Force and two NACA test pilots. Second-generation X-1 aircraft were 35.8 feet long and had a wingspan of approximately 28 feet.
Date	01.01.1956

Airborne images of the Willo …

9/3/99

Date	9/3/99
Description	Airborne images of the Willow fire in Southern California's San Bernardino County, taken September 1 from a NASA ER-2 airplane, show the blaze in wavelengths that are not visible to the naked eye and would vastly improve firefighters' ability to contain them. Whereas the human eye can only see in the visible portion of the light spectrum, from 400 nanometers to 700 nanometers, NASA's Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer, known as AVIRIS, measures the full spectrum of light from 400 nanometers to 2,500 nanometers. (A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter.) The color portion of the first set of images, beginning at the left, shows the Willow fire as it was seen from an aircraft on September 1. Vegetation is dark green and smoke can be seen rising from the fire. To the left of the color image is the first infrared image taken at a wavelength of 500 nanometers. The light is diffused by smoke particles and vegetation appears dark due to the absorption of chlorophyll molecules. In the next spectral image, taken at 1,000 nanometers, less of the light is scattered by the smoke and the surface near the fire is seen more clearly. At this wavelength of light, healthy vegetation appears bright because of the light scattering of leaves, while scorched vegetation appears dark. At the still longer wavelength of 1,500 nanometers, the smoke is nearly transparent. At this wavelength, AVIRIS began to clearly measure the actual light coming from the burning fire. At 2,000 nanometers, only light from the burning fires can be seen. In this image the major fires and many small hotspots can be seen. In the future, AVIRIS will continue to be used to gather valuable information on forest fire risk in both wilderness and urban areas. Currently, important research is being pursued by Drs. Dar Roberts of the University of California, Santa Barbara, Susan Ustin of the University of California, Davis and John Gamon of California State University, Los Angeles, as well as many others. AVIRIS was designed, built and is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise. With full spectral coverage, AVIRIS data are used to carry out a range of research activities and applications covering ecology, geology, coastal and inland water studies, snow and ice studies, wild fires, environmental contamination and urban studies. Data collection is made possible by NASA's ER-2 aircraft, which is housed at the Dryden Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, CA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. #####

F-18 AAW takeoff from Edward …

Pathfinder aircraft taking o …

YO-3A parked on ramp

Photo Description	NASA's YO-3A parked on the Dryden ramp.
Project Description	The YO-3A aircraft was originally a Schweizer SGS-2-32 sailplane. During the late 1960s Lockheed modified over a dozen of these sailplanes to create ultra-quiet observation aircraft for use over South Vietnam. This particular YO-3A flew combat missions and was later sold to an airframe and powerplant mechanics school. NASA's Ames Research Center at Mountain View, California, acquired the aircraft from the school in 1978. It restored the YO-3A to flight status and fitted it with wing- and tail-mounted microphones as an acoustic research aircraft. Ames operated it at Edwards Air Force Base for noise measurements of helicopters and tilt rotor aircraft. One set of tests in December 1995 obtained free-flight noise data on the XV-15 tilt rotor. NASA also used the YO-3A for sonic boom measurements of a NASA SR-71 assigned to the Dryden Flight Research Center. NASA transferred the YO-3A to Dryden in December 1997 and the aircraft was placed in flyable storage for nearly seven years. It was then restored to flight status in mid-2004. This involved replacing the old hoses, belts, and tires on the aircraft. The YO-3A was then returned to Ames in October 2004, where it will be used for acoustic measurements of helicopters and rotorcraft. The designation YO-3A indicates that this aircraft was a pre-production (Y) observation (O) aircraft. Even though the YO-3A saw operational use, the Y designation was never removed. Its 210-horsepower Continental V-6 was modified to reduce noise. The engine was connected to a propeller through a belt-driven reduction system. This reduced the propeller's rotation speed. The propeller blades themselves were made of birch plywood and were wider than standard propellers. The result of these modifications was an aircraft so quiet that its noise was drowned out by the background sounds.
Photo Date	June 27, 1997

NASA's ultra-quiet YO-3A acoustics research aircraft taxis out from the ramp at the Dryden Flight Research Center before a pilot checkout flight.

Photo Description	NASA's ultra-quiet YO-3A acoustics research aircraft taxis out from the ramp at the Dryden Flight Research Center before a pilot checkout flight.
Project Description	The YO-3A aircraft was originally a Schweizer SGS-2-32 sailplane. During the late 1960s Lockheed modified over a dozen of these sailplanes to create ultra-quiet observation aircraft for use over South Vietnam. This particular YO-3A flew combat missions and was later sold to an airframe and powerplant mechanics school. NASA's Ames Research Center at Mountain View, California, acquired the aircraft from the school in 1978. It restored the YO-3A to flight status and fitted it with wing- and tail-mounted microphones as an acoustic research aircraft. Ames operated it at Edwards Air Force Base for noise measurements of helicopters and tilt rotor aircraft. One set of tests in December 1995 obtained free-flight noise data on the XV-15 tilt rotor. NASA also used the YO-3A for sonic boom measurements of a NASA SR-71 assigned to the Dryden Flight Research Center. NASA transferred the YO-3A to Dryden in December 1997 and the aircraft was placed in flyable storage for nearly seven years. It was then restored to flight status in mid-2004. This involved replacing the old hoses, belts, and tires on the aircraft. The YO-3A was then returned to Ames in October 2004, where it will be used for acoustic measurements of helicopters and rotorcraft. The designation YO-3A indicates that this aircraft was a pre-production (Y) observation (O) aircraft. Even though the YO-3A saw operational use, the Y designation was never removed. Its 210-horsepower Continental V-6 was modified to reduce noise. The engine was connected to a propeller through a belt-driven reduction system. This reduced the propeller's rotation speed. The propeller blades themselves were made of birch plywood and were wider than standard propellers. The result of these modifications was an aircraft so quiet that its noise was drowned out by the background sounds.
Photo Date	October 29, 2004

Since the 1940s the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, has developed a unique and highly specialized capability for conducting flight research programs. The organization, made up of pilots, scientists, engineers, technicians, and mechanics, has been and will continue to be leaders in the field of advanced aeronautics. Located on the northwest "shore" of Rogers Dry Lake, the complex was built around the original administrative-hangar building constructed in 1954. Since then many additional support and operational facilities have been built including a number of unique test facilities such as the Thermalstructures Research Facility, Flow Visualization Facility, and the Integrated Test Facility. One of the most prominent structures is the space shuttle program's Mate-Demate Device and hangar in Area A to the north of the main complex. On the lakebed surface is a Compass Rose that gives pilots an instant compass heading. The Dryden complex originated at Edwards Air Force Base in support of the X-1 supersonic flight program. As other high-speed aircraft entered research programs, the facility became permanent and grew from a staff of five engineers in 1947 to a population in 2006 of nearly 1100 full-time government and contractor employees.

Photo Description	Since the 1940s the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, has developed a unique and highly specialized capability for conducting flight research programs. The organization, made up of pilots, scientists, engineers, technicians, and mechanics, has been and will continue to be leaders in the field of advanced aeronautics. Located on the northwest "shore" of Rogers Dry Lake, the complex was built around the original administrative-hangar building constructed in 1954. Since then many additional support and operational facilities have been built including a number of unique test facilities such as the Thermalstructures Research Facility, Flow Visualization Facility, and the Integrated Test Facility. One of the most prominent structures is the space shuttle program's Mate-Demate Device and hangar in Area A to the north of the main complex. On the lakebed surface is a Compass Rose that gives pilots an instant compass heading. The Dryden complex originated at Edwards Air Force Base in support of the X-1 supersonic flight program. As other high-speed aircraft entered research programs, the facility became permanent and grew from a staff of five engineers in 1947 to a population in 2006 of nearly 1100 full-time government and contractor employees.
Project Description	unknown
Photo Date	July 25, 2001

Photo Description	Since the 1940s the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, has developed a unique and highly specialized capability for conducting flight research programs. The organization, made up of pilots, scientists, engineers, technicians, and mechanics, has been and will continue to be leaders in the field of advanced aeronautics. Located on the northwest "shore" of Rogers Dry Lake, the complex was built around the original administrative-hangar building constructed in 1954. Since then many additional support and operational facilities have been built including a number of unique test facilities such as the Thermalstructures Research Facility, Flow Visualization Facility, and the Integrated Test Facility. One of the most prominent structures is the space shuttle program's Mate-Demate Device and hangar in Area A to the north of the main complex. On the lakebed surface is a Compass Rose that gives pilots an instant compass heading. The Dryden complex originated at Edwards Air Force Base in support of the X-1 supersonic flight program. As other high-speed aircraft entered research programs, the facility became permanent and grew from a staff of five engineers in 1947 to a population in 2006 of nearly 1100 full-time government and contractor employees.
Project Description	unknown
Photo Date	July 25, 2001

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