Browse All : Space Shuttle Orbiter of Ames Research Center (ARC)

NASA TV's This Week @NASA, M …

** STS-131 UPDATE -- JSC/KSC …

03/05/2010

Description	STS-131 UPDATE -- JSC/KSC The STS-131 Crew and space shuttle Discovery continues their progress toward an April 5 launch to the International Space Station. Discovery has been rolled out to Launch Pad 39A, while the seven STS-131 astronauts participated in launch countdown dress rehearsal activities and other prelaunch training. AMES CREATES A WINNER -- ARC The World Wind Java computer program developed at the Ames Research Center has earned NASA's 2009 Software of the Year Award. World-Wind is an open-source platform used to display NASA and U.S. Geological Survey data on virtual 3-D globes of Earth and other planets. DEEP SPACE DOWN UNDER - JPL NASA is replacing an aging fleet of 230-foot-wide antennas used in the Deep Space Network with new ''beam wave guide'' antennas that enable the network to operate on several different frequency bands within the same antenna. The replacement antennas are approximately half the size of the originals. The NASA Deep Space Network - or DSN - is an international network of antennas that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions and radio and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the solar system and the universe. The network also supports selected Earth-orbiting missions. 2009 QASAR AWARD -- GRC Christopher DellaCorte, of the Glenn Research Center's Tribology & Mechanical Components branch has received the 2009 Quality and Safety Achievement or Qasar Award for figuring out what caused severe degradation of a starboard solar array alpha rotary joint on the International Space Station. STEM EDUCATORS WORKSHOP -- LARC Teachers became students while participating in the second annual NASA Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics -- STEM -- Educators, Workshops held this year in Charlotte, N.C. The 40-session workshop provided elementary, middle and high school teachers with creative hands-on ways to incorporate NASA content into their classrooms. The workshops are specifically designed to give teachers tangible resources for immediate use in classrooms. FIRST ROBOTICS KICKOFF -- HQ The NASA supported ''For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology'' Robotics program began its 19th year with regional competitions like this one held in Washington, D.C. FIRST is a nationwide competition that teams young people with professionals to solve engineering design problems in a competitive way.
Date	03/05/2010

NASA TV's This Week @NASA, M …

NASA Chief Technologist Bobb …

05/21/10

Description	NASA Chief Technologist Bobby Braun helped kick off Spinoff Day on Capitol Hill. * A six-member team of aquanauts is testing exploration concepts off Florida's east coast in the difficult and often dangerous work environment of the ocean. * NASA's Mars Exploration Rover, Opportunity, is the new robotic record-holder for longevity on the Red Planet.* Recent studies sponsored by NASA suggest that Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil may play a role in mitigating bone breakdown. * Astronaut Jeff Williams, Expedition 22 Commander of the International Space Station gave a special presentation at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington about his recent six month mission aboard the complex. * The Jet Propulsion Laboratory held its annual two-day open house for adults and kids alike. * Employees of the Glenn Research Center were visited by members of two space shuttle crews. * More than 200 cyclists took part in the Ames Research Center's second annual Tour de Ames Bicycle Race and Fun Ride.
Date	05/21/10

NASA TV's This Week @NASA, M …

** STS-131 UPDATE: JSC/KSC T …

03/05/10

Description	STS-131 UPDATE: JSC/KSC The STS-131 Crew and space shuttle Discovery continues their progress toward an April 5 launch to the International Space Station. Discovery has been rolled out to Launch Pad 39A, while the seven STS-131 astronauts participated in launch countdown dress rehearsal activities and other prelaunch training. AMES CREATES A WINNER: ARC The World Wind Java computer program developed at the Ames Research Center has earned NASA's 2009 Software of the Year Award. World-Wind is an open-source platform used to display NASA and U.S. Geological Survey data on virtual 3-D globes of Earth and other planets. DEEP SPACE DOWN UNDER: JPL NASA is replacing an aging fleet of 230-foot-wide antennas used in the Deep Space Network with new ''beam wave guide'' antennas that enable the network to operate on several different frequency bands within the same antenna. The replacement antennas are approximately half the size of the originals. The NASA Deep Space Network - or DSN - is an international network of antennas that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions and radio and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the solar system and the universe. The network also supports selected Earth-orbiting missions. 2009 QASAR AWARD: GRC Christopher DellaCorte, of the Glenn Research Center's Tribology & Mechanical Components branch has received the 2009 Quality and Safety Achievement or Qasar Award for figuring out what caused severe degradation of a starboard solar array alpha rotary joint on the International Space Station. STEM EDUCATORS WORKSHOP: LARC Teachers became students while participating in the second annual NASA Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics -- STEM -- Educators, Workshops held this year in Charlotte, N.C. The 40-session workshop provided elementary, middle and high school teachers with creative hands-on ways to incorporate NASA content into their classrooms. The workshops are specifically designed to give teachers tangible resources for immediate use in classrooms. FIRST ROBOTICS KICKOFF HQ: The NASA supported ''For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology'' Robotics program began its 19th year with regional competitions like this one held in Washington, D.C. FIRST is a nationwide competition that teams young people with professionals to solve engineering design problems in a competitive way.
Date	03/05/10

NASA TV's This Week at NASA, …

The seven member STS-131 cre …

03/26/10

Description	The seven member STS-131 crew continues to prep for its April mission to the International Space Station. Flying aboard the space shuttle Discovery the crew will deliver about 13-thousand pounds of supplies to the station. * NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy aircraft, SOFIA completed a two-week series of 'light envelope expansion' test flights. * Brenda Manuel, NASA Associate Administrator for Diversity and Equal Opportunity, was honored by the Society of Women Engineers as this year's recipient of the group's President's Award. A lawyer by training, Manuel was recognized for her longtime encouragement of women to pursue careers in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.* The final support beam for the Ames Research Center's new green building was installed during a special 'Topping Out' celebration. * Former moonwalker, Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin has again captured the nation√¢s attention as a contestant on the ABC television series, 'Dancing with the Stars.'
Date	03/26/10

NASA TV's This Week at NASA, …

The new members of the Exped …

04/02/10

Description	The new members of the Expedition 23 crew began their journey to the International Space Station with a successful launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov, Flight Engineers Mikhail Kornienko and Tracy Caldwell Dyson will spend the next six months aboard the orbiting complex. * The new members of the Expedition 23 crew began their journey to the International Space Station with a successful launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov, Flight Engineers Mikhail Kornienko and Tracy Caldwell Dyson will spend the next six months aboard the orbiting complex. * Soon on their way to the ISS are the members of the STS-131 crew, they√¢re scheduled to liftoff with space shuttle Discovery from the Kennedy Space Center on Monday at 6:21 a.m. EDT. * Students, educators, scientists and the public came together at the Pasadena Convention Center for Climate Day 2010 -- a fun-filled educational event about Earth√¢s changing climate. * Dozens of teachers are conducting real science in an extreme environment. Through Ames Research Center's Spaceward Bound project, NASA has sent teachers to California State University's Desert Study Center in Zzyzx.
Date	04/02/10

A76-1732-85

Space Shuttle tile test in 6 …

12/27/76

Description	Space Shuttle tile test in 60MW Interaction Heating Facility N-238 (used in NASA/AMES publication "Searching the Horizon" - A History of Ames Research Center SP-4304)
Date	12/27/76

NASA research pilot John A. Manke is seen here in front of the M2-F3 Lifting Body. Manke was hired by NASA on May 25, 1962, as a flight research engineer. He was later assigned to the pilot's office and flew various support aircraft including the F-104, F5D, F-111 and C-47. After leaving the Marine Corps in 1960, Manke worked for Honeywell Corporation as a test engineer for two years before coming to NASA. He was project pilot on the X-24B and also flew the HL-10, M2-F3, and X-24A lifting bodies. John made the first supersonic flight of a lifting body and the first landing of a lifting body on a hard surface runway. Manke served as Director of the Flight Operations and Support Directorate at the Dryden Flight Research Center prior to its integration with Ames Research Center in October 1981. After this date John was named to head the joint Ames-Dryden Directorate of Flight Operations. He also served as site manager of the NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility. John is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He retired on April 27, 1984.

M2-F3 with test pilot John A …

Photo Description	NASA research pilot John A. Manke is seen here in front of the M2-F3 Lifting Body. Manke was hired by NASA on May 25, 1962, as a flight research engineer. He was later assigned to the pilot's office and flew various support aircraft including the F-104, F5D, F-111 and C-47. After leaving the Marine Corps in 1960, Manke worked for Honeywell Corporation as a test engineer for two years before coming to NASA. He was project pilot on the X-24B and also flew the HL-10, M2-F3, and X-24A lifting bodies. John made the first supersonic flight of a lifting body and the first landing of a lifting body on a hard surface runway. Manke served as Director of the Flight Operations and Support Directorate at the Dryden Flight Research Center prior to its integration with Ames Research Center in October 1981. After this date John was named to head the joint Ames-Dryden Directorate of Flight Operations. He also served as site manager of the NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility. John is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He retired on April 27, 1984.
Project Description	A fleet of lifting bodies flown at the NASA Flight Research Center (FRC--later the Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California, from 1963 to 1975 demonstrated the ability of pilots to maneuver and safely land a wingless vehicle designed to fly back to Earth from space and be landed like an aircraft at a pre-determined site. Aerodynamic lift--essential to flight in the atmosphere--was obtained from the shape of their bodies. The addition of fins and control surfaces allowed the pilots to stabilize and control the vehicles and regulate their flight paths. The information the lifting body program generated contributed to the data base that led to development of today's space shuttle program. The success of the FRC's M2-F1 [ http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Photo/M2-F1/index.html ] program led to NASA's development and construction of two heavyweight lifting bodies based on studies at NASA's Ames and Langley research centers--the M2-F2 and the HL-10, both built by the Northrop Corporation. The "M" refers to "manned" and "F" refers to "flight" version. "HL" comes from "horizontal landing" and 10 is for the tenth lifting body model to be investigated by Langley. The first flight of the M2-F2--which looked much like the "F1"--was on July 12, 1966. Milt Thompson was the pilot. By then, the same B-52s used to air launch the famed X-15 rocket research aircraft were modified to also carry the lifting bodies. Thompson was dropped from the B-52's wing pylon mount at an altitude of 45,000 feet on that maiden glide flight. The M2-F2 weighed 4,620 pounds, was 22 feet long, and had a width of about 10 feet. On May 10, 1967, during the sixteenth glide flight leading up to powered flight, a landing accident severely damaged the vehicle and seriously injured the NASA pilot, Bruce Peterson. NASA pilots and researchers realized the M2-F2 had lateral control problems, even though it had a stability augmentation (control) system. When the M2-F2 was rebuilt by the Northrop Corporation with the help and cooperation of the FRC and redesignated the M2-F3 [ http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Photo/M2-F3/index.html ], it was modified with an additional third vertical fin--centered between the tip fins--to improve control characteristics. The M2-F2/F3 was the first of the heavy-weight, entry-configuration (i.e., configured for re-entry to the atmosphere from space) lifting bodies. Its successful development as a research test vehicle answered many of the generic questions about these vehicles. NASA donated the M2-F3 vehicle to the Smithsonian Institute in December 1973. It is currently hanging in the Air and Space Museum along with the X-15 aircraft number 1, which was its hangar partner at Dryden from 1965 to 1969.
Photo Date	December 20, 1972

Boeing 747 Wing Tip Vortex T …

M2-F1 in flight

M2-F1 car tow test with 1963 …

Dale Reed's home movie of an …

Kenneth J. Szalai

Photo Date	January 8, 1997

F-8 DFBW with test pilot Gar …

Photo Date	June 16, 1972

YF-12A and YF-12C in flight …

Photo Date	1975

Mothership Drop Test of an M …

Posing for this photo in front of the M2-F3 are (Left-Right) Air Force pilot Captain Jerauld Gentry, NASA pilots John Manke and William H. Dana. Kneeling is Air Force pilot Major Cecil Powell. These four pilots flew the M2-F3 on a total of 27 flights between June 2, 1970 and December 20, 1972. The vehicle reached a maximum altitude of 71,500 feet and a maximum speed of Mach 1.613. Dana joined the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's High-Speed Flight Station On October 1, 1958 (the birthday of NASA). As a research pilot, he was involved in some of the most significant aeronautical programs carried out at the Center. In the late 1960s and in the 1970s Dana was a project pilot on the lifting body program which flew several versions of the wingless vehicles and produced data that helped in development of the Space Shuttle. For his contributions to the lifting body program, Dana received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal. In 1976 he received the Haley Space Flight Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics for his research work on the M2-F3 lifting body control systems. In 1993 Dana became Chief Engineer at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. He has authored several technical papers and is a member of The Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He retired on May 29, 1998. John joined the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Flight Research Center in 1962 as a research engineer and later became a research pilot, testing advanced craft such as the wingless lifting bodies, forerunners of the Space Shuttle. He was project pilot on the X-24B and also flew the HL-10, M2-F3, and X-24A lifting bodies. John made the first supersonic flight of a lifting body and the first landing of a lifting body on a hard surface runway. Manke served as Director of the Flight Operations and Support Directorate at the Dryden Flight Research Center prior to its integration with Ames Research Center in October 1981. After this date John was named to head the joint Ames-Dryden Directorate of Flight Operations. He also served as site manager of the NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility. John is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He retired on April 27, 1984.

Lifting body pilots - Jerry …

Photo Description	Posing for this photo in front of the M2-F3 are (Left-Right) Air Force pilot Captain Jerauld Gentry, NASA pilots John Manke and William H. Dana. Kneeling is Air Force pilot Major Cecil Powell. These four pilots flew the M2-F3 on a total of 27 flights between June 2, 1970 and December 20, 1972. The vehicle reached a maximum altitude of 71,500 feet and a maximum speed of Mach 1.613. Dana joined the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's High-Speed Flight Station On October 1, 1958 (the birthday of NASA). As a research pilot, he was involved in some of the most significant aeronautical programs carried out at the Center. In the late 1960s and in the 1970s Dana was a project pilot on the lifting body program which flew several versions of the wingless vehicles and produced data that helped in development of the Space Shuttle. For his contributions to the lifting body program, Dana received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal. In 1976 he received the Haley Space Flight Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics for his research work on the M2-F3 lifting body control systems. In 1993 Dana became Chief Engineer at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. He has authored several technical papers and is a member of The Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He retired on May 29, 1998. John joined the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Flight Research Center in 1962 as a research engineer and later became a research pilot, testing advanced craft such as the wingless lifting bodies, forerunners of the Space Shuttle. He was project pilot on the X-24B and also flew the HL-10, M2-F3, and X-24A lifting bodies. John made the first supersonic flight of a lifting body and the first landing of a lifting body on a hard surface runway. Manke served as Director of the Flight Operations and Support Directorate at the Dryden Flight Research Center prior to its integration with Ames Research Center in October 1981. After this date John was named to head the joint Ames-Dryden Directorate of Flight Operations. He also served as site manager of the NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility. John is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He retired on April 27, 1984.
Project Description	A fleet of lifting bodies flown at the NASA Flight Research Center (FRC--later the Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California, from 1963 to 1975 demonstrated the ability of pilots to maneuver and safely land a wingless vehicle designed to fly back to Earth from space and be landed like an aircraft at a pre-determined site. Aerodynamic lift--essential to flight in the atmosphere--was obtained from the shape of their bodies. The addition of fins and control surfaces allowed the pilots to stabilize and control the vehicles and regulate their flight paths. The information the lifting body program generated contributed to the data base that led to development of today's space shuttle program. The success of the FRC's M2-F1 [ http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/M2-F1/index.html ] program led to NASA's development and construction of two heavyweight lifting bodies based on studies at NASA's Ames and Langley research centers--the M2-F2 and the HL-10, both built by the Northrop Corporation. The "M" refers to "manned" and "F" refers to "flight" version. "HL" comes from "horizontal landing" and 10 is for the tenth lifting body model to be investigated by Langley. The first flight of the M2-F2--which looked much like the "F1"--was on July 12, 1966. Milt Thompson was the pilot. By then, the same B-52s used to air launch the famed X-15 rocket research aircraft were modified to also carry the lifting bodies. Thompson was dropped from the B-52's wing pylon mount at an altitude of 45,000 feet on that maiden glide flight. The M2-F2 weighed 4,620 pounds, was 22 feet long, and had a width of about 10 feet. On May 10, 1967, during the sixteenth glide flight leading up to powered flight, a landing accident severely damaged the vehicle and seriously injured the NASA pilot, Bruce Peterson. NASA pilots and researchers realized the M2-F2 had lateral control problems, even though it had a stability augmentation (control) system. When the M2-F2 was rebuilt by the Northrop Corporation with the help and cooperation of the FRC and redesignated the M2-F3 [ http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/M2-F3/index.html ], it was modified with an additional third vertical fin--centered between the tip fins--to improve control characteristics. The M2-F2/F3 was the first of the heavy-weight, entry-configuration (i.e., configured for re-entry to the atmosphere from space) lifting bodies. Its successful development as a research test vehicle answered many of the generic questions about these vehicles. NASA donated the M2-F3 vehicle to the Smithsonian Institute in December 1973. It is currently hanging in the Air and Space Museum along with the X-15 aircraft number 1, which was its hangar partner at Dryden from 1965 to 1969.
Photo Date	1971

C-140 JetStar landing on Rog …

C-140 JetStar in flight

M2-F2 flight preparation and …

M2-F2 experiencing lateral o …

Milt Thompson prepares for M …

M2-F2 test flight with F5D-1 …

M2-F2 drop from NB-52A mothe …

The Boeing 747 used for wingtip vortex research flights sits on the ramp at NASA?s Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Note the smoke generator mounted underneath the jet?s wing. Smoke from underwing smoke generators made it possible for researchers to actually see the vortices created by the 747?s wings in flight.

Boeing 747 with Smoke Genera …

Photo Description	The Boeing 747 used for wingtip vortex research flights sits on the ramp at NASA?s Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Note the smoke generator mounted underneath the jet?s wing. Smoke from underwing smoke generators made it possible for researchers to actually see the vortices created by the 747?s wings in flight.
Project Description	In 1974 the NASA Flight Research Center (later Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) used a Boeing 747 as part of the overall NASA study of trailing vortices. Trailing vortices are the invisible flow of spiraling air that trails from the wings of large aircraft and can "upset" smaller aircraft flying behind them. The 747 that NASA used was on loan from the Johnson Space Center where it was part of the Space Shuttle Program. The data gathered in the 747 studies complemented data from the previous (1973-74) joint NASA Flight Research Center and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Boeing 727 wake vortices study. Six smoke generators were installed under the wings of the 747 to provide a visual image of the trailing vortices. The object of the experiments was to test different configurations and mechanical devices on the747 that could be used to break up or lessen the strength of the vortices. The results of the tests could lead to shorter spacing between landings and takeoffs, which, in turn, could alleviate air-traffic congestion. For approximately 30 flights the 747 was flown using various combinations of wing air spoilers in an attempt to reduce wake vortices. To evaluate the effectiveness of the different configurations, chase aircraft were flown into the vortex sheets to probe their strengths and patterns at different times. Two of the chase planes used were the Flight Research Center?s Cessna T-37 and the NASA Ames Research Center?s Learjet. These aircraft represented the types of smaller business jets and other small aircraft that might encounter large passenger aircraft on approach or landings around major airports or in flight. Tests without the 747?s wing spoilers deployed produced violent "upset" problems for the T-37 aircraft at a distance of approximately 3 miles. From the magnitude of the problems found, distances of as much as ten miles might be required if spoilers were not used. With two spoilers on the outer wing panels, the T-37 could fly at a distance of three miles and not experience the "upset" problem. The wake vortex study continued even after the 747 was returned to its primary mission of carrying the Space Shuttle.
Photo Date	October 24, 1979

Two chase aircraft, a Learjet and a Cessna T-37, are shown in formation with a Boeing B-747 jetliner in this 1974 NASA Flight Research Center (FRC) photograph. The two chase aircraft were used to probe the trailing wake vortices generated by the airflow around the wings of the B-747 aircraft. The vortex trails were made visible by smoke generators mounted under the wings of the B-747 aircraft.

B-747 in Flight during Vorte …

Photo Description	Two chase aircraft, a Learjet and a Cessna T-37, are shown in formation with a Boeing B-747 jetliner in this 1974 NASA Flight Research Center (FRC) photograph. The two chase aircraft were used to probe the trailing wake vortices generated by the airflow around the wings of the B-747 aircraft. The vortex trails were made visible by smoke generators mounted under the wings of the B-747 aircraft.
Project Description	In 1974 the NASA Flight Research Center (later Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) used a Boeing 747 as part of the overall NASA study of trailing vortices. Trailing vortices are the invisible flow of spiraling air that trails from the wings of large aircraft and can "upset" smaller aircraft flying behind them. The 747 that NASA used was on loan from the Johnson Space Center where it was part of the Space Shuttle Program. The data gathered in the 747 studies complemented data from the previous (1973-74) joint NASA Flight Research Center and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Boeing727 wake vortices study. Six smoke generators were installed under the wings of the 747 to provide a visual image of the trailing vortices. The object of the experiments was to test different configurations and mechanical devices on the747 that could be used to break up or lessen the strength of the vortices. The results of the tests could lead to shorter spacing between landings and takeoffs, which, in turn, could alleviate air-traffic congestion. For approximately 30 flights the 747 was flown using various combinations of wing air spoilers in an attempt to reduce wake vortices. To evaluate the effectiveness of the different configurations, chase aircraft were flown into the vortex sheets to probe their strengths and patterns at different times. Two of the chase planes used were the Flight Research Center?s Cessna T-37 and the NASA Ames Research Center?s Learjet. These aircraft represented the types of smaller business jets and other small aircraft that might encounter large passenger aircraft on approach or landings around major airports or in flight. Tests without the 747?s wing spoilers deployed produced violent "upset" problems for the T-37 aircraft at a distance of approximately 3 miles. From the magnitude of the problems found, distances of as much as ten miles might be required if spoilers were not used. With two spoilers on the outer wing panels, the T-37 could fly at a distance of three miles and not experience the "upset" problem. The wake vortex study continued even after the 747 was returned to its primary mission of carrying the Space Shuttle.
Photo Date	September 20, 1974

In this 1974 NASA Flight Research Center photograph, a Boeing B-747 jetliner is shown taking part in the trailing wake vortex study. In the photograph, the two wing tip vortex trails, being the strongest, stay in tight cylindrical rolls. The "strength" of the vortices decreases toward the midspan of each wing, and the trails become less defined.

B-747 in Flight during Vorte …

Photo Description	In this 1974 NASA Flight Research Center photograph, a Boeing B-747 jetliner is shown taking part in the trailing wake vortex study. In the photograph, the two wing tip vortex trails, being the strongest, stay in tight cylindrical rolls. The "strength" of the vortices decreases toward the midspan of each wing, and the trails become less defined.
Project Description	In 1974 the NASA Flight Research Center (later Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) used a Boeing 747 as part of the overall NASA study of trailing vortices. Trailing vortices are the invisible flow of spiraling air that trails from the wings of large aircraft and can "upset" smaller aircraft flying behind them. The 747 that NASA used was on loan from the Johnson Space Center where it was part of the Space Shuttle Program. The data gathered in the 747 studies complemented data from the previous (1973-74) joint NASA Flight Research Center and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Boeing 727 wake vortices study. Six smoke generators were installed under the wings of the 747 to provide a visual image of the trailing vortices. The object of the experiments was to test different configurations and mechanical devices on the747 that could be used to break up or lessen the strength of the vortices. The results of the tests could lead to shorter spacing between landings and takeoffs, which, in turn, could alleviate air-traffic congestion. For approximately 30 flights the 747 was flown using various combinations of wing air spoilers in an attempt to reduce wake vortices. To evaluate the effectiveness of the different configurations, chase aircraft were flown into the vortex sheets to probe their strengths and patterns at different times. Two of the chase planes used were the Flight Research Center?s Cessna T-37 and the NASA Ames Research Center?s Learjet. These aircraft represented the types of smaller business jets and other small aircraft that might encounter large passenger aircraft on approach or landings around major airports or in flight. Tests without the 747?s wing spoilers deployed produced violent "upset" problems for the T-37 aircraft at a distance of approximately 3 miles. From the magnitude of the problems found, distances of as much as ten miles might be required if spoilers were not used. With two spoilers on the outer wing panels, the T-37 could fly at a distance of three miles and not experience the "upset" problem. The wake vortex study continued even after the 747 was returned to its primary mission of carrying the Space Shuttle.
Photo Date	September 20, 1974

In this 1974 NASA Flight Research Center (FRC) photograph, the two chase aircraft, a Learjet and a Cessna T-37, are shown in formation off the right wing tip of the Boeing B-747 jetliner. The two chase aircraft were used to probe the trailing wake vortices generated by the airflow around the wings of the B-747 aircraft. The vortex trail behind the right wing tip was made visible by a smoke generator mounted under the wing of the B-747 aircraft.

B-747 in Flight during Vorte …

Photo Description	In this 1974 NASA Flight Research Center (FRC) photograph, the two chase aircraft, a Learjet and a Cessna T-37, are shown in formation off the right wing tip of the Boeing B-747 jetliner. The two chase aircraft were used to probe the trailing wake vortices generated by the airflow around the wings of the B-747 aircraft. The vortex trail behind the right wing tip was made visible by a smoke generator mounted under the wing of the B-747 aircraft.
Project Description	In 1974 the NASA Flight Research Center (later Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) used a Boeing 747 as part of the overall NASA study of trailing vortices. Trailing vortices are the invisible flow of spiraling air that trails from the wings of large aircraft and can "upset" smaller aircraft flying behind them. The 747 that NASA used was on loan from the Johnson Space Center where it was part of the Space Shuttle Program. The data gathered in the 747 studies complemented data from the previous (1973-74) joint NASA Flight Research Center and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Boeing 727 wake vortices study. Six smoke generators were installed under the wings of the 747 to provide a visual image of the trailing vortices. The object of the experiments was to test different configurations and mechanical devices on the747 that could be used to break up or lessen the strength of the vortices. The results of the tests could lead to shorter spacing between landings and takeoffs, which, in turn, could alleviate air-traffic congestion. For approximately 30 flights the 747 was flown using various combinations of wing air spoilers in an attempt to reduce wake vortices. To evaluate the effectiveness of the different configurations, chase aircraft were flown into the vortex sheets to probe their strengths and patterns at different times. Two of the chase planes used were the Flight Research Center?s Cessna T-37 and the NASA Ames Research Center?s Learjet. These aircraft represented the types of smaller business jets and other small aircraft that might encounter large passenger aircraft on approach or landings around major airports or in flight. Tests without the 747?s wing spoilers deployed produced violent "upset" problems for the T-37 aircraft at a distance of approximately 3 miles. From the magnitude of the problems found, distances of as much as ten miles might be required if spoilers were not used. With two spoilers on the outer wing panels, the T-37 could fly at a distance of three miles and not experience the "upset" problem. The wake vortex study continued even after the 747 was returned to its primary mission of carrying the Space Shuttle.
Photo Date	September 20, 1974

Spacelab-3 Onboard Photograp …

Name of Image	Spacelab-3 Onboard Photograph
Date of Image	1985-04-01
Full Description	The major science objective of the Spacelab-3 mission was to perform engineering tests on two new facilities: The rodent animal holding facility and the primate animal holding facility. In addition, scientists observed the animals to obtain firsthand knowledge of the effects of launch and reentry stresses and behavior. The need for suitable animal housing to support research in space led to the development of the Research Animal Holding Facility at the Ames Research Center. Scientists often study animals to find clues to human physiology and behavior. Rats, insects, and microorganisms had already been studied aboard the Shuttle on previous missions. On Spacelab-3, scientists had a chance to observe a large number of animals living in space in a specially designed and independently controlled housing facility. This photograph shows astronaut Thornton observing a primate at the primate animal holding facility inside the module during this mission. Spacelab-3 (STS-51B) was launched on April 29, 1985 aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Challenger. The Marshall Space Flight Center had managing responsibilities for the Spacelab missions.

Spacelab-3 Onboard Photograp …

Name of Image	Spacelab-3 Onboard Photograph
Date of Image	1985-04-01
Full Description	The major science objective of the Spacelab-3 mission was to perform engineering tests on two new facilities: The rodent animal holding facility and the primate animal holding facility. In addition, scientists observed the animals to obtain firsthand knowledge of the effects of launch and reentry stresses and behavior. The need for suitable animal housing to support research in space led to the development of the Research Animal Holding Facility at the Ames Research Center. Scientists often study animals to find clues to human physiology and behavior. Rats, insects, and microorganisms had already been studied aboard the Shuttle on previous missions. On Spacelab-3, scientists had a chance to observe a large number of animals living in space in a specially designed and independently controlled housing facility. This photograph shows an astronaut tending the the rodent animal holding facility inside the module during this mission. Spacelab-3 (STS-51B) was launched on April 29, 1985 aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Challenger. The Marshall Space Flight Center had managing responsibilities for the Spacelab missions.

Lifting body pilots - Jerry …

Title	Lifting body pilots - Jerry Gentry, John Manke, Bill Dana, Cecil Powell with M2-F3 in background
Description	Posing for this photo in front of the M2-F3 are (Left-Right) Air Force pilot Captain Jerauld Gentry, NASA pilots John Manke and William H. Dana. Kneeling is Air Force pilot Major Cecil Powell. These four pilots flew the M2-F3 on a total of 27 flights between June 2, 1970 and December 20, 1972. The vehicle reached a maximum altitude of 71,500 feet and a maximum speed of Mach 1.613. Dana joined the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's High-Speed Flight Station On October 1, 1958 (the birthday of NASA). As a research pilot, he was involved in some of the most significant aeronautical programs carried out at the Center. In the late 1960s and in the 1970s Dana was a project pilot on the lifting body program which flew several versions of the wingless vehicles and produced data that helped in development of the Space Shuttle. For his contributions to the lifting body program, Dana received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal. In 1976 he received the Haley Space Flight Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics for his research work on the M2-F3 lifting body control systems. In 1993 Dana became Chief Engineer at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. He has authored several technical papers and is a member of The Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He retired on May 29, 1998. John joined the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Flight Research Center in 1962 as a research engineer and later became a research pilot, testing advanced craft such as the wingless lifting bodies, forerunners of the Space Shuttle. He was project pilot on the X-24B and also flew the HL-10, M2-F3, and X-24A lifting bodies. John made the first supersonic flight of a lifting body and the first landing of a lifting body on a hard surface runway. Manke served as Director of the Flight Operations and Support Directorate at the Dryden Flight Research Center prior to its integration with Ames Research Center in October 1981. After this date John was named to head the joint Ames-Dryden Directorate of Flight Operations. He also served as site manager of the NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility. John is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He retired on April 27, 1984. A fleet of lifting bodies flown at the NASA Flight Research Center (FRC--later the Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California, from 1963 to l975 demonstrated the ability of pilots to maneuver and safely land a wingless vehicle designed to fly back to Earth from space and be landed like an aircraft at a pre-determined site. Aerodynamic lift--essential to flight in the atmosphere--was obtained from the shape of their bodies. The addition of fins and control surfaces allowed the pilots to stabilize and control the vehicles and regulate their flight paths. The information the lifting body program generated contributed to the data base that led to development of today's space shuttle program. The success of the FRC'sM2-F1 [, http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/M2-F1/index.html ]program led to NASA's development and construction of two heavyweight lifting bodies based on studies at NASA's Ames and Langley research centers--the M2-F2 and the HL-10, both built by the Northrop Corporation. The "M" refers to "manned" and "F" refers to "flight" version. "HL" comes from "horizontal landing" and 10 is for the tenth lifting body model to be investigated by Langley. The first flight of the M2-F2--which looked much like the "F1"--was on July 12, 1966. Milt Thompson was the pilot. By then, the same B-52s used to air launch the famed X-15 rocket research aircraft were modified to also carry the lifting bodies. Thompson was dropped from the B-52's wing pylon mount at an altitude of 45,000 feet on that maiden glide flight. The M2-F2 weighed 4,620 pounds, was 22 feet long, and had a width of about 10 feet. On May 10, 1967, during the sixteenth glide flight leading up to powered flight, a landing accident severely damaged the vehicle and seriously injured the NASA pilot, Bruce Peterson. NASA pilots and researchers realized the M2-F2 had lateral control problems, even though it had a stability augmentation (control) system. When the M2-F2 was rebuilt by the Northrop Corporation with the help and cooperation of the FRC and redesignated theM2-F3 [ http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/M2-F3/index.html ], it was modified with an additional third vertical fin--centered between the tip fins--to improve control characteristics. The M2-F2/F3 was the first of the heavy-weight, entry-configuration (i.e., configured for re-entry to the atmosphere from space) lifting bodies. Its successful development as a research test vehicle answered many of the generic questions about these vehicles. NASA donated The M2-F3 vehicle to the Smithsonian Institute in December 1973. It is currently hanging in the Air and Space Museum along with the X-15 aircraft number 1, which was its hangar partner at Dryden from 1965 to 1969.
Date	01.01.1971

AD-1 with research pilot Ric …

Title	AD-1 with research pilot Richard E. Gray
Description	Standing in front of the AD-1 Oblique Wing research aircraft is research pilot Richard E. Gray. Richard E. Gray joined National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, in November 1978, as an aerospace research pilot. In November 1981, Dick joined the NASA's Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, California, as a research pilot. Dick was a former Co-op at the NASA Flight Research Center (a previous name of the Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility), serving as an Operations Engineer. At Ames-Dryden, Dick was a pilot for the F-14 Aileron Rudder Interconnect Program, AD-1 Oblique Wing Research Aircraft, F-8 Digital Fly-By-Wire and Pilot Induced Oscillations investigations. He also flew the F-104, T-37, and the F-15. On November 8, 1982, Gray was fatally injured in a T-37 jet aircraft while making a pilot proficiency flight. Dick graduated with a Bachelors degree in Aeronautical Engineering from San Jose State University in 1969. He joined the U.S. Navy in July 1969, becoming a Naval Aviator in January 1971, when he was assigned to F-4 Phantoms at Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar, California. In 1972, he flew 48 combat missions in Vietnam in F-4s with VF-111 aboard the USS Coral Sea. After making a second cruise in 1973, Dick was assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Four (VX-4) at NAS Point Mugu, California, as a project pilot on various operational test and evaluation programs. In November 1978, Dick retired from the Navy and joined NASA's Johnson Space Center. At JSC Gray served as chief project pilot on the WB-57F high-altitude research projects and as the prime television chase pilot in a T-38 for the landing portion of the Space Shuttle orbital flight tests. Dick had over 3,000 hours in more than 30 types of aircraft, an airline transport rating, and 252 carrier arrested landings. He was a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots serving on the Board of Directors as Southwest Section Technical Adviser in 1981/1982. Richard E. Gray was born March 11, 1945 in Newport News, Virginia, he died on November 8, 1982 at Edwards, California, in a T-37 spin accident. The Ames-Dryden-1 (AD-1) aircraft was designed to investigate the concept of an oblique (pivoting) wing. The wing could be rotated on its center pivot, so that it could be set at its most efficient angle for the speed at which the aircraft was flying. NASA Ames Research Center Aeronautical Engineer Robert T. Jones conceived the idea of an oblique wing. His wind tunnel studies at Ames (Moffett Field, CA) indicated that an oblique wing design on a supersonic transport might achieve twice the fuel economy of an aircraft with conventional wings. The oblique wing on the AD-1 pivoted about the fuselage, remaining perpendicular to it during slow flight and rotating to angles of up to 60 degrees as aircraft speed increased. Analytical and wind tunnel studiesthat Jones conducted at Ames indicated that a transport-sized oblique-wing aircraft, flying at speeds of up to Mach 1.4 (1.4 times the speed of sound) would have substantially better aerodynamic performance than aircraft with conventional wings. The AD-1 structure allowed the project to complete all of its technical objectives. The type of low-speed, low-cost vehicle - as expected - exhibited aeroelastic and pitch-roll-coupling effects that contributed to poor handling at sweep angles above 45 degrees. The fiberglass structure limited the wing stiffness that would have improved the handling qualities. Thus, after completion of the AD-1 project, there was still a need for a transonic oblique-wing research aircraft to assess the effects of compressibility, evaluate a more representative structure, and analyze flight performance at transonic speeds (those on either side of the speed of sound). The aircraft was delivered to the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA, in March 1979 and its first flight was on December 21, 1979. Piloting the aircraft on that flight, as well as on its last flight on August 7, 1982, was NASA Research Pilot Thomas C. McMurtry. The AD-1 flew a total of 79 times during the research program. The aircraft was constructed by the Ames Industrial Co., Bohemia, NY, under a $240, 000 fixed-price contract. NASA specified the design based on a geometric configuration provided by the Boeing company. The Rutan Aircraft Factory, Mojave, CA, provided the detailed design and loads analysis for the vehicle. The aircraft was 38.8 feet long and 6.75 feet high with a wing span of 32.3 feet, unswept. It was constructed of plastic reinforced with fiberglass and weighed 1,450 pounds,empty. The vehicle was powered by two small turbojet engines, each producing 220 pounds of thrust at sea level. Due to safety concerns, the aircraft was limited to speeds of 170 mph.
Date	01.01.1982

M2-F1 mounted in NASA Ames R …

Title	M2-F1 mounted in NASA Ames Research Center 40x80 foot wind tunnel
Description	After the first attempted ground-tow tests of the M2-F1 in March 1963, the vehicle was taken to the Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA, for wind-tunnel testing. During these tests, Milt Thompson and others were in the M2-F1 to position the control surfaces for each test. The wingless, lifting body aircraft design was initially conceived as a means of landing an aircraft horizontally after atmospheric reentry. The absence of wings would make the extreme heat of re-entry less damaging to the vehicle. In 1962, Dryden management approved a program to build a lightweight, unpowered lifting body as a prototype to flight test the wingless concept. It would look like a "flying bathtub," and was designated the M2-F1, the "M" referring to "manned" and "F" referring to "flight" version. It featured a plywood shell placed over a tubular steel frame crafted at Dryden. Construction was completed in 1963. The first flight tests of the M2-F1 were over Rogers Dry Lake at the end of a tow rope attached to a hopped-up Pontiac convertible driven at speeds up to about 120 mph. This vehicle needed to be able to tow the M2-F1 on the Rogers Dry Lakebed adjacent to NASA's Flight Research Center (FRC) at a minimum speed of 100 miles per hour. To do that, it had to handle the 400-pound pull of the M2-F1. Walter "Whitey" Whiteside, who was a retired Air Force maintenance officer working in the FRC's Flight Operations Division, was a dirt-bike rider and hot-rodder. Together with Boyden "Bud" Bearce in the Procurement and Supply Branch of the FRC, Whitey acquired a Pontiac Catalina convertible with the largest engine available. He took the car to Bill Straup's renowned hot-rod shop near Long Beach for modification. With a special gearbox and racing slicks, the Pontiac could tow the 1,000-pound M2-F1 110 miles per hour in 30 seconds. It proved adequate for the roughly 400 car tows that got the M2-F1 airborne to prove it could fly safely and to train pilots before they were towed behind a C-47 aircraft and released. These initial car-tow tests produced enough flight data about the M2-F1 to proceed with flights behind the C-47 tow plane at greater altitudes. The C-47 took the craft to an altitude of 12,000 where free flights back to Rogers Dry Lake began. Pilot for the first series of flights of the M2-F1 was NASA research pilot Milt Thompson. Typical glide flights with the M2-F1 lasted about two minutes and reached speeds of 110 to l20 mph. A small solid landing rocket, referred to as the "instant L/D rocket," was installed in the rear base of the M2-F1. This rocket, which could be ignited by the pilot, provided about 250 pounds of thrust for about 10 seconds. The rocket could be used to extend the flight time near landing if needed. More than 400 ground tows and 77 aircraft tow flights were carried out with the M2-F1. The success of Dryden's M2-F1 program led to NASA's development and construction of two heavyweight lifting bodies based on studies at NASA's Ames and, Langley research centers--the M2-F2 and the HL-10, both built by the Northrop Corporation, and the U.S. Air Force's X-24 program, with an X-24A and -B built by Martin. The Lifting Body program also heavily influenced the Space Shuttle program. The M2-F1 program demonstrated the feasibility of the lifting body concept for horizontal landings of atmospheric entry vehicles. It also demonstrated a procurement and management concept for prototype flight test vehicles that produced rapid results at very low cost (approximately $50,000, excluding salaries of government employees assigned to the project).
Date	01.01.1962

M2-F1 on lakebed with pilots …

Title	M2-F1 on lakebed with pilots Milt Thompson, Chuck Yeager, Don Mallick, and Bruce Peterson
Description	After the initial M2-F1 airtow flights, the NASA Flight Research Center used the vehicle to check out other pilots. Bruce Peterson was scheduled to take over as the M2-F1 project pilot from Milt Thompson, while Don Mallick was to be his backup. Col. (later Brig. Gen.) Charles (Chuck) Yeager, then commandant of the Air Force's Aerospace Research Pilots School, wanted to evaluate a possible lifting-body trainer for the school. This photo shows all of these distinguished pilots on or in the M2-F1, with Col. Yeager in the pilot's seat. The lifting body concept evolved in the mid-1950s as researchers considered alternatives to ballistic reentries of piloted space capsules. The designs for hypersonic, wingless vehicles were on the boards at NASA Ames and NASA Langley facilities, while the US Air Force was gearing up for its Dyna-Soar program, which defined the need for a spacecraft that would land like an airplane. Despite favorable research on lifting bodies, there was little support for a flight program. Dryden engineer R. Dale Reed was intrigued with the lifting body concept, and reasoned that some sort of flight demonstration was needed before wingless aircraft could be taken seriously. In February 1962, he built a model lifting body based upon the Ames M2 design, and air-launched it from a radio controlled "mothership." Home movies of these flights, plus the support of research pilot Milt Thompson, helped pursuade the facilities director, Paul Bikle, to give the go-ahead for the construction of a full-scale version, to be used as a wind-tunnel model and possibly flown as a glider. Comparing lifting bodies to space capsules, an unofficial motto of the project was, "Don't be Rescued from Outer Space--Fly Back in Style." The construction of the M2-F1 was a joint effort by Dryden and a local glider manufacturer, the Briegleb Glider Company. The budget was $30,000. NASA craftsmen and engineers built the tubular steel interior frame. Its mahogany plywood shell was hand-made by Gus Briegleb and company. Ernie Lowder, a NASA craftsman who had worked on the Howard Hughes "Spruce Goose," was assigned to help Briegleb. The prototype of a 21st Century spacecraft required the fabrication of hundreds of small wooden parts meticulously nailed and glued together. It was a product of craftsmanship that was nearly obsolete in the 1940s. Final assembly of the remaining components (including aluminum tail surfaces, push rod controls, and landing gear from a Cessna 150) was done back at the NASA facility. In the meantime, other NASA engineers devised a special M2-F1 flight simulator, and a hot rod shop near Long Beach souped-up a Pontiac convertible to be used as the lifting body ground-tow vehicle. The M2-F1 did not have ailerons. Instead, it had elevons which were attached to each of the two rudders. A large flap on the trailing edge of the body acted as an elevator. This unconventional arrangement prompted the engineers to rethink the flight control system as well., They eventually devised two schemes. One system was fairly traditional. It used rudder pedal inputs to move the rudders for yaw control, and stick inputs to provide differential deflections of the elevons for roll. The other system used stick inputs to control the rudders for yaw, while rudder pedal deflections moved the elevons for roll. Milt Thompson tried both systems in the simulator and surprised the design team when he said he preferred system number two. He reasoned that although sideslip delayed roll (which was a result of dihedral effect), the roll rate was twice as high using the rudders instead of the elevons. He said he would rather have the higher roll rates available to him if needed, while the slip could be overcome with proper piloting technique. This was the system that Thompson practiced on the simulator, and he used it during the initial auto tows. Auto tows were done using a 1000 foot rope fastened to the NASA Pontiac. Rogers Dry Lake provided miles of unobstructed motoring. On April 5, 1963, Thompson lifted the M2-F1's nose off of the ground for the first time on tow. Speed was 86 miles per hour. The little craft seemed to bounce uncontrollably back and forth on the main landing gear, and stopped when he lowered the nose to the ground. He tried again, but each time with the same results. He felt it was a landing gear problem that could have caused the aircraft to roll on its back if he had lifting the main gear off of the ground. Looking at movies of the tests, engineers decided that the bouncing was probably caused by unwanted rudder movements. Flight control system number two was replaced in favor of number one, and it never bounced again. Speeds on tow inched up to 110 miles per hour, which allowed Thompson to climb to about 20 feet, then glide for about 20 seconds after releasing the line. That was the most that could be expected during an auto tow. In the spring of 1963 the M2-F1 was shipped to Ames Research Center, where it was mounted on twenty-foot poles inside the 40-foot by 80-foot wind tunnel. For two weeks, Thompson and engineers Ed Browne and Dick Eldredge took turns "flying" it as air blasted by at a 135 miles per hour. They learned more about its flying qualities, and accumulated important data for the upcoming aero tows. A NASA C-47 was used for all of the aero tows. The first was on August 16, 1963. The M2-F1 had recently been equipped with an ejection seat, small rockets in the tail to extend the landing flare for about 5 seconds (if needed), and Thompson prepared for the flight with a few more tows behind the Pontiac. Forward visibility in the M2-F1 was very limited on tow, requiring Thompson to fly about 20 feet higher than the C-47 so he could see the plane through the nose window. Towing speed was about 100 miles per hour. Tow release was at 12,000 feet. The lifting body descended at an average rate of about 3,600 feet-per-minute. At 1,000 feet above the ground, the nose was lowered to increase speed to, about 150 mph, flare was at 200 feet from a 20 degree dive. The landing was smooth, and the lifting body program was on its way. The M2-F1 was flown until August 16, 1966. It proved the lifting body concept and lead the way for subsequent, metal "heavyweight" designs. Chuck Yeager, Bruce Peterson, Bill Dana, Jerry Gentry, James Wood, Don Sorlie, Fred Haise, Joe Engle, and Don Mallick also flew the M2-F1. More than 400 ground tows and 77 aircraft tow flights were carried out with the M2-F1. The success of Dryden's M2-F1 program led to NASA's development and construction of two heavyweight lifting bodies based on studies at NASA's Ames and Langley research centers--the M2-F2 and the HL-10, both built by the Northrop Corporation, and to the Air Force's X-24 program, for which the vehicles were built by Martin. The Lifting Body program also heavily influenced the Space Shuttle program.
Date	11.12.1963

M2-F1 on lakebed with Pontia …

Title	M2-F1 on lakebed with Pontiac convertible tow vehicle
Description	The M2-F1 lifting body, dubbed the "flying bathtub" by the media, was the precursor of a remarkable series of wingless flying vehicles that contributed data used in the space shuttle and the X-38 Technology Demonstrator for crew return from the International Space Station. The early tow tests were done using the 1963 Pontiac Catalina convertible modified for the purpose. The first flight attempt occurred on 1 March 1963 but was unsuccessful due to control-system problems. It was not until 5 April 1963, after tests in the Ames Research Center wind tunnel, that Milt Thompson made the first M2-F1 tow flight. Based on the ideas and basic design of Alfred J. Eggers and others at the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory (now the Ames Research Center), Mountain View, Calif., in the mid-1950s, the M2-F1 came to be built over a four-month period in 1962-63 for a cost of only about $30,000 plus perhaps an additional $8,000-$10,000 for an ejection seat and $10,000 for solid-propellant rockets to add time to the landing flare. Engineers and technicians at the NASA Flight Research Center (now NASA Dryden) kept costs low by designing and fabricating it partly in-house, with the plywood shell constructed by a local sailplane builder. Someone at the time estimated that it would have cost a major aircraft company $150,000 to build the same vehicle. Unlike the later lifting bodies, the M2-F1 was unpowered and was initially towed until it was airborne by a souped-up Pontiac convertible. This vehicle needed to be able to tow the M2-F1 on the Rogers Dry Lakebed adjacent to NASA's Flight Research Center (FRC) at a minimum speed of 100 miles per hour. To do that, it had to handle the 400-pound pull of the M2-F1. Walter "Whitey" Whiteside, who was a retired Air Force maintenance officer working in the FRC's Flight Operations Division, was a dirt-bike rider and hot-rodder. Together with Boyden "Bud" Bearce in the Procurement and Supply Branch of the FRC, Whitey acquired a Pontiac Catalina convertible with the largest engine available. He took the car to Bill Straup's renowned hot-rod shop near Long Beach for modification. With a special gearbox and racing slicks, the Pontiac could tow the 1,000-pound M2-F1 110 miles per hour in 30 seconds. It proved adequate for the roughly 400 car tows that got the M2-F1 airborne to prove it could fly safely and to train pilots before they were towed behind a C-47 aircraft and released. In this photograph, the Pontiac with its NASA markings is shown next to the M2-F1. The pilot in the M2-F1 is Milt Thompson. The crew chief at the nose of the lifting body is Orion "Bill" Billeter. The individual standing in the center of the group is John Orahood. Dick Eldredge is in the back seat of the Pontiac. The man to Orahood's left is unidentified, as is the driver of the Catalina, but the man in the driver's seat is probably "Whitey" Whiteside.
Date	01.01.1963

M2-F2 flight preparation and …

Title	M2-F2 flight preparation and launch
Description	This movie clip runs about 27 seconds and shows the cockpit canopy close-out by the ground crew, the aircraft hanging from the NB-52B wing pylon, and the M2-F2 being dropped away from the mothership. A fleet of lifting bodies flown at the NASA Flight Research Center (FRC), Edwards, California, from 1963 to l975 demonstrated the ability of pilots to maneuver (in the atmosphere) and safely land a wingless vehicle. These lifting bodies were basically designed so they could fly back to Earth from space and be landed like an aircraft at a pre-determined site. They served as precursors of today's Space Shuttle, the X-33, and the X-38, providing technical and operational engineering data that shaped all three space vehicles. (In 1976 NASA renamed the FRC as the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) in honor of Hugh L. Dryden.) In 1962, FRC Director Paul Bikle approved a program to build a lightweight, unpowered lifting body as a prototype to flight test the wingless concept. It would look like a "flying bathtub," and was designated the M2-F1. Built by Gus Briegleb, a sailplane builder from El Mirage, California, it featured a plywood shell, placed over a tubular steel frame crafted at the FRC. Construction was completed in 1963. The success of Dryden's M2-F1 program led to NASA's development and construction of two heavyweight lifting bodies based on studies at NASA Ames Research Center and NASA and Langley Research Center -- the M2-F2 and the HL-10, both built by the Northrop Corporation, Los Angeles, California. The "M" refers to "manned" and "F" refers to "flight" version. "HL" comes from "horizontal landing" and "10" is for the tenth lifting body model to be investigated by Langley. The first flight of the M2-F2 -- which looked much like the M2-F1 -- occurred on July 12, 1966. Thompson was the pilot. By then, the same B-52 used to air launch the famed X-15 rocket research aircraft had been modified to also carry the lifting bodies into the air and Thompson was dropped from the B-52 wing pylon mount at an altitude of 45,000 feet on that maiden glide flight. On May 10, 1967, during the sixteenth glide flight leading up to powered flight, a landing accident severely damaged the vehicle and seriously injured the NASA pilot, Bruce Peterson. Following the mishap, the M2-F2 was redesigned with a center fin as the M2-F3, which flew from 1970 to 1972. The M2-F2 weighed 4,620 pounds without ballast, was roughly 22 feet long, and had a width of about 10 feet.
Date	01.01.1969

M2-F3 on lakebed

Title	M2-F3 on lakebed
Description	The M2-F3 Lifting Body is seen here on the lakebed next to the NASA Flight Research Center (FRC--laterDryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California. The May 1967 crash of the M2-F2 had torn off the left fin and landing gear. It had also damaged the external skin and internal structure. Flight Research Center engineers worked with Ames Research Center and the Air Force in redesigning the vehicle with a center fin to provide greater stability. Then Northrop Corporation cooperated with the FRC in rebuilding the vehicle. The entire process took three years. A fleet of lifting bodies flown at the NASA Flight Research Center (FRC--later the Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California, from 1963 to l975 demonstrated the ability of pilots to maneuver and safely land a wingless vehicle designed to fly back to Earth from space and be landed like an aircraft at a pre-determined site. Aerodynamic lift--essential to flight in the atmosphere--was obtained from the shape of their bodies. The addition of fins and control surfaces allowed the pilots to stabilize and control the vehicles and regulate their flight paths. The information the lifting body program generated contributed to the data base that led to development of today's space shuttle program. The success of the FRC'sM2-F1 [ http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/M2-F1/index.html ]program led to NASA's development and construction of two heavyweight lifting bodies based on studies at NASA's Ames and Langley research centers--the M2-F2 and the HL-10, both built by the Northrop Corporation. The "M" refers to "manned" and "F" refers to "flight" version. "HL" comes from "horizontal landing" and 10 is for the tenth lifting body model to be investigated by Langley. The first flight of the M2-F2--which looked much like the "F1"--was on July 12, 1966. Milt Thompson was the pilot. By then, the same B-52s used to air launch the famed X-15 rocket research aircraft were modified to also carry the lifting bodies. Thompson was dropped from the B-52's wing pylon mount at an altitude of 45,000 feet on that maiden glide flight. The M2-F2 weighed 4,620 pounds, was 22 feet long, and had a width of about 10 feet. On May 10, 1967, during the sixteenth glide flight leading up to powered flight, a landing accident severely damaged the vehicle and seriously injured the NASA pilot, Bruce Peterson. NASA pilots and researchers realized the M2-F2 had lateral control problems, even though it had a stability augmentation (control) system. When the M2-F2 was rebuilt by the Northrop Corporation with the help and cooperation of the FRC and redesignated theM2-F3 [ http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/M2-F3/index.html ], it was modified with an additional third vertical fin--centered between the tip fins--to improve control characteristics. The M2-F2/F3 was the first of the heavy-weight, entry-configuration (i.e., configured for re-entry to the atmosphere from space) lifting bodies. Its successful development as a, research test vehicle answered many of the generic questions about these vehicles. NASA donated The M2-F3 vehicle to the Smithsonian Institute in December 1973. It is currently hanging in the Air and Space Museum along with the X-15 aircraft number 1, which was its hangar partner at Dryden from 1965 to 1969.
Date	01.01.1970

M2-F3 with test pilot John A …

Title	M2-F3 with test pilot John A. Manke
Description	(control) system. When the M2-F2 was rebuilt by the Northrop Corporation with the help and cooperation of the FRC and redesignated theM2-F3 [ http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/M2-F3/index.html ], it was modified with an additional third vertical fin--centered between the tip fins--to improve control characteristics. The M2-F2/F3 was the first of the heavy-weight, entry-configuration (i.e., configured for re-entry to the atmosphere from space) lifting bodies. Its successful development as a research test vehicle answered many of the generic questions about these vehicles. NASA donated The M2-F3 vehicle to the Smithsonian Institute in December 1973. It is currently hanging in the Air and Space Museum along with the X-15 aircraft number 1, which was its hangar partner at Dryden from 1965 to 1969., NASA research pilot John A. Manke is seen here in front of the M2-F3 Lifting Body. Manke was hired by NASA on May 25, 1962, as a flight research engineer. He was later assigned to the pilot's office and flew various support aircraft including the F-104, F5D, F-111 and C-47. After leaving the Marine Corps in 1960, Manke worked for Honeywell Corporation as a test engineer for two years before coming to NASA. He was project pilot on the X-24B and also flew the HL-10, M2-F3, and X-24A lifting bodies. John made the first supersonic flight of a lifting body and the first landing of a lifting body on a hard surface runway. Manke served as Director of the Flight Operations and Support Directorate at the Dryden Flight Research Center prior to its integration with Ames Research Center in October 1981. After this date John was named to head the joint Ames-Dryden Directorate of Flight Operations. He also served as site manager of the NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility. John is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He retired on April 27, 1984. A fleet of lifting bodies flown at the NASA Flight Research Center (FRC--later the Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California, from 1963 to l975 demonstrated the ability of pilots to maneuver and safely land a wingless vehicle designed to fly back to Earth from space and be landed like an aircraft at a pre-determined site. Aerodynamic lift--essential to flight in the atmosphere--was obtained from the shape of their bodies. The addition of fins and control surfaces allowed the pilots to stabilize and control the vehicles and regulate their flight paths. The information the lifting body program generated contributed to the data base that led to development of today's space shuttle program. The success of the FRC'sM2-F1 [ http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/M2-F1/index.html ]program led to NASA's development and construction of two heavyweight lifting bodies based on studies at NASA's Ames and Langley research centers--the M2-F2 and the HL-10, both built by the Northrop Corporation. The "M" refers to "manned" and "F" refers to "flight" version. "HL" comes from "horizontal landing" and 10 is for the tenth lifting body model to be investigated by Langley. The first flight of the M2-F2--which looked much like the "F1"--was on July 12, 1966. Milt Thompson was the pilot. By then, the same B-52s used to air launch the famed X-15 rocket research aircraft were modified to also carry the lifting bodies. Thompson was dropped from the B-52's wing pylon mount at an altitude of 45,000 feet on that maiden glide flight. The M2-F2 weighed 4,620 pounds, was 22 feet long, and had a width of about 10 feet. On May 10, 1967, during the sixteenth glide flight leading up to powered flight, a landing accident severely damaged the vehicle and seriously injured the NASA pilot, Bruce Peterson. NASA pilots and researchers realized the M2-F2 had lateral control problems, even though it had a stability augmentation
Date	01.01.1972

B-747 in Flight during Vorte …

Title	B-747 in Flight during Vortex Study
Description	In this 1974 NASA Flight Research Center photograph, a Boeing B-747 jetliner is shown taking part in the trailing wake vortex study. In the photograph, the two wing tip vortex trails, being the strongest, stay in tight cylindrical rolls. The "strength" of the vortices decreases toward the midspan of each wing, and the trails become less defined. In 1974 the NASA Flight Research Center (later Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) used a Boeing 747 as part of the overall NASA study of trailing vortices. Trailing vortices are the invisible flow of spiraling air that trails from the wings of large aircraft and can "upset" smaller aircraft flying behind them. The 747 that NASA used was on loan from the Johnson Space Center where it was part of the Space Shuttle Program. The data gathered in the 747 studies complemented data from the previous (1973-74) joint NASA Flight Research Center and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Boeing727 wake vortices study. Six smoke generators were installed under the wings of the 747 to provide a visual image of the trailing vortices. The object of the experiments was to test different configurations and mechanical devices on the747 that could be used to break up or lessen the strength of the vortices. The results of the tests could lead to shorter spacing between landings and takeoffs, which, in turn, could alleviate air-traffic congestion. For approximately 30 flights the 747 was flown using various combinations of wing air spoilers in an attempt to reduce wake vortices. To evaluate the effectiveness of the different configurations, chase aircraft were flown into the vortex sheets to probe their strengths and patterns at different times. Two of the chase planes used were the Flight Research Center's Cessna T-37 and the NASA Ames Research Center's Learjet. These aircraft represented the types of smaller business jets and other small aircraft that might encounter large passenger aircraft on approach or landings around major airports or in flight. Tests without the 747's wing spoilers deployed produced violent "upset" problems for the T-37 aircraft at a distance of approximately 3 miles. From the magnitude of the problems found, distances of as much as ten miles might be required if spoilers were not used. With two spoilers on the outer wing panels, the T-37 could fly at a distance of three miles and not experience the "upset" problem. The wake vortex study continued even after the 747 was returned to its primary mission of carrying the Space Shuttle.
Date	01.01.1974

B-747 in Flight during Vorte …

Title	B-747 in Flight during Vortex Study
Description	Two chase aircraft, a Learjet and a Cessna T-37, are shown in formation with a Boeing B-747 jetliner in this 1974 NASA Flight Research Center (FRC) photograph. The two chase aircraft were used to probe the trailing wake vortices generated by the airflow around the wings of the B-747 aircraft. The vortex trails were made visible by smoke generators mounted under the wings of the B-747 aircraft. In 1974 the NASA Flight Research Center (later Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) used a Boeing 747 as part of the overall NASA study of trailing vortices. Trailing vortices are the invisible flow of spiraling air that trails from the wings of large aircraft and can "upset" smaller aircraft flying behind them. The 747 that NASA used was on loan from the Johnson Space Center where it was part of the Space Shuttle Program. The data gathered in the 747 studies complemented data from the previous (1973-74) joint NASA Flight Research Center and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Boeing727 wake vortices study. Six smoke generators were installed under the wings of the 747 to provide a visual image of the trailing vortices. The object of the experiments was to test different configurations and mechanical devices on the747 that could be used to break up or lessen the strength of the vortices. The results of the tests could lead to shorter spacing between landings and takeoffs, which, in turn, could alleviate air-traffic congestion. For approximately 30 flights the 747 was flown using various combinations of wing air spoilers in an attempt to reduce wake vortices. To evaluate the effectiveness of the different configurations, chase aircraft were flown into the vortex sheets to probe their strengths and patterns at different times. Two of the chase planes used were the Flight Research Center's Cessna T-37 and the NASA Ames Research Center's Learjet. These aircraft represented the types of smaller business jets and other small aircraft that might encounter large passenger aircraft on approach or landings around major airports or in flight. Tests without the 747's wing spoilers deployed produced violent "upset" problems for the T-37 aircraft at a distance of approximately 3 miles. From the magnitude of the problems found, distances of as much as ten miles might be required if spoilers were not used. With two spoilers on the outer wing panels, the T-37 could fly at a distance of three miles and not experience the "upset" problem. The wake vortex study continued even after the 747 was returned to its primary mission of carrying the Space Shuttle.
Date	01.01.1974

B-747 in Flight during Vorte …

Title	B-747 in Flight during Vortex Study with Learjet and T-37 Fly Through the Wake
Description	In this 1974 NASA Flight Research Center (FRC) photograph, the two chase aircraft, a Learjet and a Cessna T-37, are shown in formation off the right wing tip of the Boeing B-747 jetliner. The two chase aircraft were used to probe the trailing wake vortices generated by the airflow around the wings of the B-747 aircraft. The vortex trail behind the right wing tip was made visible by a smoke generator mounted under the wing of the B-747 aircraft. In 1974 the NASA Flight Research Center (later Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) used a Boeing 747 as part of the overall NASA study of trailing vortices. Trailing vortices are the invisible flow of spiraling air that trails from the wings of large aircraft and can "upset" smaller aircraft flying behind them. The 747 that NASA used was on loan from the Johnson Space Center where it was part of the Space Shuttle Program. The data gathered in the 747 studies complemented data from the previous (1973-74) joint NASA Flight Research Center and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Boeing727 wake vortices study. Six smoke generators were installed under the wings of the 747 to provide a visual image of the trailing vortices. The object of the experiments was to test different configurations and mechanical devices on the747 that could be used to break up or lessen the strength of the vortices. The results of the tests could lead to shorter spacing between landings and takeoffs, which, in turn, could alleviate air-traffic congestion. For approximately 30 flights the 747 was flown using various combinations of wing air spoilers in an attempt to reduce wake vortices. To evaluate the effectiveness of the different configurations, chase aircraft were flown into the vortex sheets to probe their strengths and patterns at different times. Two of the chase planes used were the Flight Research Center's Cessna T-37 and the NASA Ames Research Center's Learjet. These aircraft represented the types of smaller business jets and other small aircraft that might encounter large passenger aircraft on approach or landings around major airports or in flight. Tests without the 747's wing spoilers deployed produced violent "upset" problems for the T-37 aircraft at a distance of approximately 3 miles. From the magnitude of the problems found, distances of as much as ten miles might be required if spoilers were not used. With two spoilers on the outer wing panels, the T-37 could fly at a distance of three miles and not experience the "upset" problem. The wake vortex study continued even after the 747 was returned to its primary mission of carrying the Space Shuttle.
Date	01.01.1974

Boeing 747 with Smoke Genera …

Title	Boeing 747 with Smoke Generator Installed for Vortex Study
Description	The Boeing 747 used for wingtip vortex research flights sits on the ramp at NASA's Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Note the smoke generator mounted underneath the jet's wing. Smoke from underwing smoke generators made it possible for researchers to actually see the vortices created by the 747's wings in flight. In 1974 the NASA Flight Research Center (later Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) used a Boeing 747 as part of the overall NASA study of trailing vortices. Trailing vortices are the invisible flow of spiraling air that trails from the wings of large aircraft and can "upset" smaller aircraft flying behind them. The 747 that NASA used was on loan from the Johnson Space Center where it was part of the Space Shuttle Program. The data gathered in the 747 studies complemented data from the previous (1973-74) joint NASA Flight Research Center and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Boeing727 wake vortices study. Six smoke generators were installed under the wings of the 747 to provide a visual image of the trailing vortices. The object of the experiments was to test different configurations and mechanical devices on the747 that could be used to break up or lessen the strength of the vortices. The results of the tests could lead to shorter spacing between landings and takeoffs, which, in turn, could alleviate air-traffic congestion. For approximately 30 flights the 747 was flown using various combinations of wing air spoilers in an attempt to reduce wake vortices. To evaluate the effectiveness of the different configurations, chase aircraft were flown into the vortex sheets to probe their strengths and patterns at different times. Two of the chase planes used were the Flight Research Center's Cessna T-37 and the NASA Ames Research Center's Learjet. These aircraft represented the types of smaller business jets and other small aircraft that might encounter large passenger aircraft on approach or landings around major airports or in flight. Tests without the 747's wing spoilers deployed produced violent "upset" problems for the T-37 aircraft at a distance of approximately 3 miles. From the magnitude of the problems found, distances of as much as ten miles might be required if spoilers were not used. With two spoilers on the outer wing panels, the T-37 could fly at a distance of three miles and not experience the "upset" problem. The wake vortex study continued even after the 747 was returned to its primary mission of carrying the Space Shuttle.
Date	01.01.1979

CV-990 Landing Systems Resea …

Title	CV-990 Landing Systems Research Aircraft (LSRA) during final Space Shuttle tire test
Description	A Convair 990 (CV-990) was used as a Landing Systems Research Aircraft (LSRA) at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, to test space shuttle landing gear and braking systems as part of NASA's effort to upgrade and improve space shuttle capabilities. The first flight at Dryden of the CV-990 with shuttle test components occurred in April 1993, and tests continued into August 1995, when this photo shows a test of the shuttle tires. The purpose of this series of tests was to determine the performance parameters and failure limits of the tires. This particular landing was on the dry lakebed at Edwards, but other tests occurred on the main runway there. The CV-990, built in 1962 by the Convair Division of General Dynamics Corp., Ft. Worth, Texas, served as a research aircraft at Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, before it came to Dryden.
Date	01.01.1995

Dale Reed with model in fron …

Title	Dale Reed with model in front of M2-F1
Description	Dale Reed with a model of the M2-F1 in front of the actual lifting body. Reed used the model to show the potential of the lifting bodies. He first flew it into tall grass to test stability and trim, then hand-launched it from buildings for longer flights. Finally, he towed the lifting-body model aloft using a powered model airplane known as the "Mothership." A timer released the model and it glided to a landing. Dale's wife Donna used a 9 mm. camera to film the flights of the model. Its stability as it glided--despite its lack of wings--convinced Milt Thompson and some Flight Research Center engineers including the center director, Paul Bikle, that a piloted lifting body was possible. The lifting body concept evolved in the mid-1950s as researchers considered alternatives to ballistic reentries of piloted space capsules. The designs for hypersonic, wingless vehicles were on the boards at NASA Ames and NASA Langley facilities, while the US Air Force was gearing up for its Dyna-Soar program, which defined the need for a spacecraft that would land like an airplane. Despite favorable research on lifting bodies, there was little support for a flight program. Dryden engineer R. Dale Reed was intrigued with the lifting body concept, and reasoned that some sort of flight demonstration was needed before wingless aircraft could be taken seriously. In February 1962, he built a model lifting body based upon the Ames M2 design, and air-launched it from a radio controlled "mothership." Home movies of these flights, plus the support of research pilot Milt Thompson, helped pursuade the facilities director, Paul Bikle, to give the go-ahead for the construction of a full-scale version, to be used as a wind-tunnel model and possibly flown as a glider. Comparing lifting bodies to space capsules, an unofficial motto of the project was, "Don't be Rescued from Outer Space--Fly Back in Style." The construction of the M2-F1 was a joint effort by Dryden and a local glider manufacturer, the Briegleb Glider Company. The budget was $30,000. NASA craftsmen and engineers built the tubular steel interior frame. Its mahogany plywood shell was hand-made by Gus Briegleb and company. Ernie Lowder, a NASA craftsman who had worked on the Howard Hughes "Spruce Goose," was assigned to help Briegleb. The prototype of a 21st Century spacecraft required the fabrication of hundreds of small wooden parts meticulously nailed and glued together. It was a product of craftsmanship that was nearly obsolete in the 1940s. Final assembly of the remaining components (including aluminum tail surfaces, push rod controls, and landing gear from a Cessna 150) was done back at the NASA facility. In the meantime, other NASA engineers devised a special M2-F1 flight simulator, and a hot rod shop near Long Beach souped-up a Pontiac convertible to be used as the lifting body ground-tow vehicle. The M2-F1 did not have ailerons. Instead, it had elevons which were attached to each of the two rudders. A large flap, feet. The lifting body descended at an average rate of about 3,600 feet-per-minute. At 1,000 feet above the ground, the nose was lowered to increase speed to about 150 mph, flare was at 200 feet from a 20 degree dive. The landing was smooth, and the lifting body program was on its way. The M2-F1 was flown until August 16, 1966. It proved the lifting body concept and lead the way for subsequent, metal "heavyweight" designs. Chuck Yeager, Bruce Peterson, Bill Dana, Jerry Gentry, James Wood, Don Sorlie, Fred Haise, Joe Engle, and Don Mallick also flew the M2-F1. More than 400 ground tows and 77 aircraft tow flights were carried out with the M2-F1. The success of Dryden's M2-F1 program led to NASA's development and construction of two heavyweight lifting bodies based on studies at NASA's Ames and Langley research centers--the M2-F2 and the HL-10, both built by the Northrop Corporation, and to the Air Force's X-24 program, for which the vehicles were built by Martin. The Lifting Body program also heavily influenced the Space Shuttle program., on the trailing edge of the body acted as an elevator. This unconventional arrangement prompted the engineers to rethink the flight control system as well. They eventually devised two schemes. One system was fairly traditional. It used rudder pedal inputs to move the rudders for yaw control, and stick inputs to provide differential deflections of the elevons for roll. The other system used stick inputs to control the rudders for yaw, while rudder pedal deflections moved the elevons for roll. Milt Thompson tried both systems in the simulator and surprised the design team when he said he preferred system number two. He reasoned that although sideslip delayed roll (which was a result of dihedral effect), the roll rate was twice as high using the rudders instead of the elevons. He said he would rather have the higher roll rates available to him if needed, while the slip could be overcome with proper piloting technique. This was the system that Thompson practiced on the simulator, and he used it during the initial auto tows. Auto tows were done using a 1000 foot rope fastened to the NASA Pontiac. Rogers Dry Lake provided miles of unobstructed motoring. On April 5, 1963, Thompson lifted the M2-F1's nose off of the ground for the first time on tow. Speed was 86 miles per hour. The little craft seemed to bounce uncontrollably back and forth on the main landing gear, and stopped when he lowered the nose to the ground. He tried again, but each time with the same results. He felt it was a landing gear problem that could have caused the aircraft to roll on its back if he had lifting the main gear off of the ground. Looking at movies of the tests, engineers decided that the bouncing was probably caused by unwanted rudder movements. Flight control system number two was replaced in favor of number one, and it never bounced again. Speeds on tow inched up to 110 miles per hour, which allowed Thompson to climb to about 20 feet, then glide for about 20 seconds after releasing the line. That was the most that could be expected during an auto tow. In the spring of 1963 the M2-F1 was shipped to Ames Research Center, where it was mounted on twenty-foot poles inside the 40-foot by 80-foot wind tunnel. For two weeks, Thompson and engineers Ed Browne and Dick Eldredge took turns "flying" it as air blasted by at a 135 miles per hour. They learned more about its flying qualities, and accumulated important data for the upcoming aero tows. A NASA C-47 was used for all of the aero tows. The first was on August 16, 1963. The M2-F1 had recently been equipped with an ejection seat, small rockets in the tail to extend the landing flare for about 5 seconds (if needed), and Thompson prepared for the flight with a few more tows behind the Pontiac. Forward visibility in the M2-F1 was very limited on tow, requiring Thompson to fly about 20 feet higher than the C-47 so he could see the plane through the nose window. Towing speed was about 100 miles per hour. Tow release was at 12,000
Date	03.06.1967

STS-34 Galileo probe process …

Title	STS-34 Galileo probe processing at KSC's SAEF-2 planetary spacecraft facility
Description	At the Kennedy Space Center's (KSC's) Spacecraft and Assembly Encapsulation Facility 2 (SAEF-2), the planetary spacecraft checkout facility, technicians from the NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) and Hughes Aircraft Company prepare the 737-pound Galileo Jovian atmospheric probe for final assembly following its arrival 04-17-89. The entire Galileo assembly will also include a 5870-pound spacecraft, and an inertial upper stage (IUS) booster. Galileo is scheduled for launch aboard Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, on Space Shuttle Mission STS-34 in October 1989. After an initial boost from the IUS, Galileo will require a triple gravity assist from Venus and Earth to reach Jupiter in 1995. This complex trajectory will allow the first close flyby of two asteroids. Approaching Jupiter, the probe will separate from the spacecraft to provide the first direct sampling of the Jovian atmosphere. The spacecraft will orbit Jupiter ten times, yielding the first extended observations of the planet, i
Date	06.08.1989

F-8 DFBW with test pilot Gar …

Title	F-8 DFBW with test pilot Gary E. Krier
Description	Former research pilot Gary E. Krier is the Director of Flight Operations of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. He was the acting Deputy Director effective June 30, 2001 to September 9, 2001. Until that time he was the Chief Engineer and also the Director of the Systems Management Office at Dryden. He had held the position of Chief Engineer since August 1, 1999, and he was appointed Systems Management Office Director in October 1999. Before August 1999, he had been the Director of the Airborne Science Directorate since August 1998. Prior to assuming this position, Krier headed the Aerospace Projects Directorate from March 1997 to August 1998. He had previously been in charge of the Intercenter Aircraft Operations Directorate at Dryden from 1995 to 1997. From 1992 to 1994, he served as Manager, Operations and Facilities, for the New Launch System at NASA Headquarters, where he developed operational procedures and facilities for the next generation of Expendable Launch Vehicles and participated in policy making for the program. From 1987 to 1992, he held two different management positions at NASA Headquarters relating to Space Shuttle operations. Among other positions he held before that time were Director of the Commercial Development Division, Office of Commercial Programs, at NASA Headquarters (1984-1987), Director of the Aircraft Management Office at NASA Headquarters (1983-1984), and attorney in the Office of the Chief Counsel at Ames Research Center (1982-1983). Earlier in his career, Krier was an aerospace research pilot and engineer at Dryden after first going to work for NASA in 1967. He was the first pilot to fly the F-8 Digital Fly-by-Wire aircraft and the Integrated Propulsion Control System F-111 with digital fuel and inlet control. He was also co-project pilot with Thomas C. McMurtry on the F-8 Supercritical Wing project. In addition, he flew the YF-17 research aircraft and has flown more than 30 types of aircraft ranging from light planes to the B-52 and the triple-sonic YF-12. Before joining NASA, Krier served as an engineer for Pratt & Whitney, Martin Marietta, and Hercules Powder Company. He is the author of 7 technical reports. He earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering at the University of Utah in 1960 and went on to achieve an M.B.A. (with Distinction) from Golden Gate University in 1978 and a J.D. from the UCLA School of Law in 1982. He also completed the Program for Management Development at Harvard University on a NASA Fellowship in 1975. He is a member of the State Bar of California, of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (for which he served as legal officer in 1989 and continues to serve as legal advisor and scholarship foundation trustee), and the Quiet Birdmen.
Date	01.01.1971

Two YF-12 aircraft in flight

Title	Two YF-12 aircraft in flight
Description	The YF-12A (60-6935) carries the "coldwall" heat transfer pod on a pylon beneath the forward fuselage. The pod is seen with its insulating coating intact. In the foreground, the YF-12C flies photo chase. The coldwall project, supported by Langley Research Center, consisted of a stainless steel tube equipped with thermocouples and pressure-sensors. A special insulating coating covered the tube, which was chilled with liquid nitrogen. At Mach 3, the insulation could be pyrotechnically blown away from the tube, instantly exposing it to the thermal environment. The experiment caused many inflight difficulties, such as engine unstarts, but eventually researchers got a successful flight. The Flight Research Center's involvement with the YF-12A, an interceptor version of the Lockheed A-12, began in 1967. Ames Research Center was interested in using wind tunnel data that had been generated at Ames under extreme secrecy. Also, the Office of Advanced Research and Technology (OART) saw the YF-12A as a means to advance high-speed technology, which would help in designing the Supersonic Transport (SST). The Air Force needed technical assistance to get the latest reconnaissance version of the A-12 family, the SR-71A, fully operational. Eventually, the Air Force offered NASA the use of two YF-12A aircraft, 60-6935 and 60-6936. A joint NASA-USAF program was mapped out in June 1969. NASA and Air Force technicians spent three months readying 935 for flight. On 11 December 1969, the flight program got underway with a successful maiden flight piloted by Col. Joe Rogers and Maj. Gary Heidelbaugh of the SR-71/F-12 Test Force. During the program, the Air Force concentrated on military applications, and NASA pursued a loads research program. NASA studies included inflight heating, skin-friction cooling, "coldwall" research (a heat transfer experiment), flowfield studies, shaker vane research, and tests in support of the Space Shuttle landing program. Ultimately, 935 became the workhorse of the program, with 146 flights between 11 December 1969 and 7 November 1979. The second YF-12A, 936, made 62 flights. It was lost in a non-fatal crash on 24 June 1971. It was replaced by the so-called YF-12C (SR-71A 61-7951, modified with YF-12A inlets and engines and a bogus tail number 06937). The Lockheed A-12 family, known as the Blackbirds, were designed by Clarence "Kelly" Johnson. They were constructed mostly of titanium to withstand aerodynamic heating. Fueled by JP-7, the Blackbirds were capable of cruising at Mach 3.2 and attaining altitudes in excess of 80,000 feet. The first version, a CIA reconnaissance aircraft that first flew in April 1962 was called the A-12. An interceptor version was developed in 1963 under the designation YF-12A. A USAF reconnaissance variant, called the SR-71, was first flown in 1964. The A-12 and SR-71 designs included leading and trailing edges made of high-temperature fiberglass-asbestos laminates. The NASA YF-12 research program was ambitious;, the aircraft flew an average of once a week unless down for extended maintenance or modification. Program expenses averaged $3.1 million per year just to run the flight tests. NASA crews for the YF-12 included pilots Fitzhugh Fulton and Donald Mallick, anf flight test engineers Victor Horton and Ray Young. Other NASA test pilots checked out in the YF-12A included John Manke, William Dana, Gary Krier, Einar Enevoldson, Tom McMurtry, Steve Ishmael, and Michael Swann. The YF-12C was only flown by Fulton, Mallick, Horton, and Ray.
Date	01.01.1975

JetStar in flight

Title	JetStar in flight
Description	This 18-second movie clip shows the NASA Dryden Lockheed C-140 JetStar in flight with its pylon-mounted air-turbine-drive system used to gather information on the acoustic characteristics of subscale advanced design propellers. Data was gathered through 28 flush-mounted microphones on the skin of the aircraft. From 1976 to 1987 the NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio -- today known as the Glenn Research Center -- engaged in research and development of an advanced turboprop concept in partnership with Hamilton Standard, Windsor Locks, Connecticut, the largest manufacturer of propellers in the United States. The Advanced Turboprop Project took its impetus from the energy crisis of the early 1970's and sought to produce swept propeller blades that would increase efficiency and reduce noise. As the project progressed, Pratt & Whitney, Allison Gas Turbine Division of General Motors, General Electric, Gulfstream, Rohr Industries, Boeing, Lockheed, and McDonnell Douglas, among others, also took part. NASA Lewis did the much of the ground research and marshaled the resources of these and other members of the aeronautical community. The team came to include the NASA Ames Research Center, Langley Research Center, and the Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (before and after that time, the Dryden Flight Research Center). Together, they brought the propeller to the flight research stage, and the team that worked on the project won the coveted Collier Trophy for its efforts in 1987. To test the acoustics of the propeller the team developed, it mounted propeller models on a C-140 JetStar aircraft fuselage at NASA Dryden. The JetStar was modified with the installation of an air-turbine-drive system. The drive motor, with a test propeller, was mounted on a pylon atop the JetStar. The JetStar was equipped with an array of 28 microphones flush-mounted in the fuselage of the aircraft beneath the propeller. Microphones mounted on the wings and on an accompanying Learjet chase aircraft provided far-field acoustic data. Between May 21, 1981 and August of 1982, the JetStar completed roughly 45 research flights with three different propellers in varying configurations. Dryden engineers analyzed some of the resultant data, while they sent flight tapes to Hamilton Standard, Lewis, and Langley for analysis there. The results indicated a need for noise-reduction technology to keep the noise levels down to the project goals. An improved version of the advanced turboprop underwent flight testing in 1987 on a Gulfstream II over Georgia in 1987. These flight tests verified predictions of a 20- to 30-percent fuel savings. However, with the end of the energy crisis, the need for such savings disappeared, and the Advanced Turboprop Project did not lead to the expected industry-wide adoption of the new propeller systems on transport aircraft. In the 1960s, the same JetStar that was used to test the advanced turboprop had been equipped with an electronic variable-stability, flight-control system. Called then a General Purpose Airborne Simulator (GPAS), the aircraft could duplicate the flight characteristics of a wide variety of advanced aircraft and was used for supersonic transport and general aviation research, and as a training and support system for Space Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests at Dryden in 1977. Over the years, the JetStar has also been used for a variety of other flight research projects, including laminar-flow-control flight tests in the mid-1980s.
Date	01.01.1981

John Manke

Title	John Manke
Description	On October 1, 1981, John A. Manke was named to head the Directorate of Flight Operations, Ames Research Center, which resulted from the consolidation of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California, and Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California. He also served as site manager of the NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility. Prior to this assignment, he served as Director of the Flight Operations and Support Directorate at Dryden. Manke attended the University of South Dakota before joining the U.S. Navy in 1951. He graduated from Marquette University at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1956 with a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. While at school he was selected for the NROTC program and after graduating in 1956 entered flight training and served as a fighter pilot with the U.S. Marine Corps. John left the service in 1960, and prior to joining NASA, worked for Honeywell Corporation as a test engineer. John joined Dryden in 1962 as a research engineer and later became a research pilot, testing advanced craft such as the wingless lifting bodies, forerunners of the Space Shuttle. He was project pilot on the X-24B and also flew the M-2, HL-10 and the X-24A lifting bodies. Manke retired on April 27, 1984. John is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He has been honored with two NASA Medals of Outstanding Leadership, two NASA Medals for Exceptional Service and was selected for the Aerospace Walk of Honor in 1997.
Date	01.01.1981

Kenneth J. Szalai

Title	Kenneth J. Szalai
Description	(AIAA) and Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Szalai, a Fellow of the AIAA, also served on the National Academy of Science's "Aeronautics-2000" study. Among the awards Szalai has received are NASA's Exceptional Service Medal, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, and the Presidential Meritorious and Distinguished Rank awards. Szalai was born June 1, 1942, in Milwaukee, Wisc., where he graduated from West Division High School., Kenneth J. Szalai was Director of the NASA Hugh L. Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., from January 1994 through July 1998. He retired from NASA at the end of July to join IBP Aerospace Group, Inc., as the company's new president and chief operating officer. As NASA's primary installation for flight research for more than half a century, Dryden is chartered to conceive and conduct experimental flight research for integrated flight and propulsion controls, advanced optical sensors and controls, viscous drag reduction, advanced configurations, high-altitude, long-endurance aircraft, remotely piloted vehicle technology, hypersonic vehicle experiments, high-speed research for civil transportation, atmospheric tests of advanced rocket and airbreathing propulsion concepts, instrumentation systems, and flight loads predictions. In carrying out this mission, Dryden operates some of the most advanced research aircraft in the nation. When Dryden was administratively a part of the NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., Szalai was director and also held the position of Ames Deputy Director for Dryden from December 1990 until assuming his current position From 1982 until December 1990, Szalai directed the Dryden Research Engineering Division. He served as Associate Director of the Ames Research Center in 1989. Prior to 1982 he was chief of the Research Engineering Division's Dynamics and Control Branch, and chief of the Flight Control Section. Szalai began his NASA career at Dryden in 1964 following graduation from the University of Wisconsin, where he attended both the Milwaukee and Madison campuses. His bachelor of science degree is in electrical engineering. He also received a master of science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Southern California in 1970. Szalai was principal investigator on the F-8 Digital Fly-By-Wire program, which successfully flew the first aircraft equipped with a digital electronic flight control system without any mechanical reversion capability. Szalai also held research and systems engineering positions on several research aircraft programs investigating flying qualities, integrated flight controls, and fault tolerant-flight critical systems. He was also flight test engineer and principal investigator on the NASA Airborne Simulator before assuming management positions within the Research Engineering Division. Szalai has worked in various technical and management positions on such programs as the F-111 IPCS, AFTI/F-16, HiMAT, F-15 DEEC, F-15 HIDEC, X-29, X-31, F-16XL Laminar Flow, Space Shuttle Orbiter, Pathfinder Solar Powered Aircraft, SR-71 Sonic Boom, F-15 and MD-11 Propulsion Controlled Aircraft, X-33, and X-38. Szalai has authored over 25 papers and reports and has been a lecturer for the NATO Advisory Group for Aeronautical Research and Development (AGARD). He has served on various technical committees and subcommittees for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Date	01.08.1997

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