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NASA Reinstalls Main Mirror
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Engineers and technicians fr
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10/28/08
| Description |
Engineers and technicians from NASA, the German Space Agency and the Deutsches SOFIA Institut recently reinstalled the German-built primary mirror assembly into NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, airborne observatory. Technicians removed the glass mirror from the modified 747SP observatory in April 2008 and transported it to NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., where it received its reflective aluminum coating in a vacuum chamber in June 2008. The coating, five one-millionths of an inch thick, will be reapplied as necessary during the 20-year life of the program. "We had completed system tests of our mirror coater but this is the first time we've actually coated SOFIA's mirror. The team and equipment performed flawlessly and the results are magnificent," says Ed Austin, SOFIA science project manager at Ames. The mirror assembly was transported back to NASA's Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif., mid-September and reinstalled Oct. 8. "The reinstallation of the mirror is a significant program milestone on the path to science observations with the SOFIA observatory in the summer of 2009," said Bob Meyer, SOFIA program manager at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. › Read more Photo Description A technician guides SOFIA's primary mirror assembly into the aircraft's telescope cavity completing the mirror reinstallation following its initial coating. October 8, 2008 NASA Photo / Carla Thomas ED08-0262-54 |
| Date |
10/28/08 |
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Ikhana Resumes Fire Mission
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NASA's Autonomous Modular Sc
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9/22/08
| Description |
NASA's Autonomous Modular Scanner mounted on the Ikhana remotely piloted aircraft captured this thermal-infrared imagery during two passes over the Hidden wildfire during a flight over the southern Sierras about 30 miles northeast of Visalia in Central California on Sept. 19, 2008. This false-color, three-dimensional image shows unburned vegetation in green, smoke and bare areas in bluish-white and fire hot spots in yellow and red, overlaid on a Google Earth Digital Globe terrain image. Text credit: NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center > Read more about the Ikhana mission |
| Date |
9/22/08 |
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X-48C in Langley Full-Scale
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An historic wind tunnel at N
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9/4/09
| Description |
An historic wind tunnel at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., is helping test the prototype of a new, more fuel-efficient, quieter aircraft design. Boeing Research & Technology, Huntington Beach, Calif., has partnered with NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, to explore and validate the structural, aerodynamic and operational advantages of an advanced hybrid wing body concept called the blended wing body or BWB. NASA is flight testing one version of a 21-foot (6.4 m) wingspan BWB prototype, called the X-48B, at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, at Edwards AFB, Calif. The other one being tested in the Langley Full-Scale Tunnel is the X-48C. It has been modified to make it quieter. Those modifications include reducing the number of engines from three to two and the installation of noise-shielding vertical fins. The wind tunnel tests are assessing the aerodynamic effects of those modifications. NASA Langley owns the tunnel, but leased it to Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., for more than 10 years for research and student engineering training. Cranfield Aerospace Ltd., Cranfield, England, built the ground-breaking prototypes to Boeing Research & Technology's specifications. Made primarily of advanced lightweight composite materials, the prototypes weigh about 400 pounds (181 kg) each. The Air Force is interested in a full-scale version's potential as a multi-role, long-range, high-capacity military aircraft. This is the second time this aircraft has been put through its paces at the historic tunnel that was built in 1930 and has been used to test everything from World War II fighters, to the Mercury capsule, to concepts for a supersonic transport. In 2006, preliminary tests helped engineers determine how it would fly during remotely piloted flights. Blended wing body designs are different than traditional tube and wing aircraft. One is that they rely primarily on multiple control surfaces on the wing for stability and control. Another is that they blend tube and wings for lower drag and better lift. Credit: NASA/Sean Smith |
| Date |
9/4/09 |
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On the Tarmac
Space shuttle Atlantis on to
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6/3/09
| Description |
Space shuttle Atlantis on top of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, is parked on the tarmac of NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. The SCA landed at Kennedy after a more than 2,500-mile cross-country ferry flight from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett July 2, 2009 |
| Date |
6/3/09 |
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Preparing for the Journey Ho
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Space shuttle Atlantis is sh
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5/28/09
| Description |
Space shuttle Atlantis is shown suspended from a sling in the Mate-DeMate Device at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center during preparations for its ferry... |
| Date |
5/28/09 |
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Preparing for the Journey Ho
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Space shuttle Atlantis is sh
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5/28/09
| Description |
Space shuttle Atlantis is shown suspended from a sling in the Mate-DeMate Device at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center during preparations for its ferry... |
| Date |
5/28/09 |
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X-38
One of NASA's three X-38 Cre
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11/4/09
| Description |
One of NASA's three X-38 Crew Return Vehicle technology demonstrators that flew at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., a decade ago has found a new home in America's heartland. In this image from test flights in 1999, the X-38 research vehicle drops away from NASA's B-52 mothership immediately after being released from the B-52's wing pylon. More than 30 years earlier, this same B-52 launched the original lifting-body vehicles flight tested by NASA and the Air Force at what is now called the Dryden Flight Research Center and the Air Force Flight Test Center. The wingless lifting body craft was transferred this past weekend from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston to the Strategic Air and Space Museum, located just off Interstate 80 at Ashland, Neb., about 20 miles southeast of Omaha. The X-38 adds to the museum's growing collection of aerospace vehicles and other historical artifacts. The move of the second X-38 built to the museum has a fitting connection, as the X-38 vehicles were air-launched from NASA's famous B-52B 008 mothership. The B-52 bomber served as the backbone of the Air Force's Strategic Air Command during the command's history. Prior to cancellation, the X-38 program was developing the technology for proposed vehicles that could return up to seven International Space Station crewmembers to Earth in case of an emergency. These vehicles would have been carried to the space station in the cargo bay of a space shuttle and attached to station docking ports. If an emergency arose that forced the ISS crew to leave the space station, a Crew Return Vehicle would have undocked and returned them to Earth much like the space shuttle, although the vehicle would have deployed a parafoil for the final descent and landing. Photo Credit: NASA/Carla Thomas |
| Date |
11/4/09 |
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Preparing for Flight
Technicians carefully positi
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8/19/09
| Description |
Technicians carefully position an Orion flight test crew module to be airlifted from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center to the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The crew module will be used for the Orion Launch Abort System Pad Abort-1 flight test, the first of five planned Orion Launch Abort System Pad flight tests in NASA's Constellation program, which are scheduled for early 2010. Image Credit: NASA/Tony Landis |
| Date |
8/19/09 |
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Preparing for the Voyage Hom
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Members of the STS-128 missi
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9/14/09
| Description |
Members of the STS-128 mission crew line up behind Space Shuttle Discovery and the Mate DeMate Device at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center prior to their departure. From left are Jose Hernandez, Kevin Ford, Christer Fuglesang, Rick Sturckow, Danny Olivas and Patrick Forrester. Discovery landed Sept. 11, 2009, at Edwards Air Force Base after an almost 14-day mission to the International Space Station. Image Credit: NASA/Jim Ross |
| Date |
9/14/09 |
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Up and Away
Space shuttle Discovery, mou
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9/18/09
| Description |
Space shuttle Discovery, mounted on leveling jacks, is surrounded by work platforms while undergoing servicing and preparations at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center for its ferry flight to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Image Credit: NASA/Tony Landis |
| Date |
9/18/09 |
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Global Hawk
In its new white-and-blue NA
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6/23/08
| Description |
In its new white-and-blue NASA livery, an early development model of the Global Hawk unmanned aircraft rests on the ramp at the Dryden Flight Research Center. December 3, 2007 NASA Photo / Tony Landis ED07-0244-78 |
| Date |
6/23/08 |
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Global Hawk
NASA's two Global Hawks, one
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1/8/09
| Description |
NASA's two Global Hawks, one sporting a NASA paint scheme, the other in its prior Air Force livery, are shown on the ramp at the Dryden Flight Research Center. December 3, 2007 NASA Photo / Tony Landis ED07-0244-74 |
| Date |
1/8/09 |
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Global Hawk
The above-the-fuselage engin
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6/23/08
| Description |
The above-the-fuselage engine and V-tail distinguish one of NASA's two Global Hawk unmanned aircraft parked on the ramp at the Dryden Flight Research Center. December 3, 2007 NASA Photo / Tony Landis ED07-0244-058 |
| Date |
6/23/08 |
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G-III
Project Description NASA's m
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6/24/08
| Description |
Project Description NASA's modified Gulfstream G-III aircraft provides a platform to test and evaluate a variety of new technologies, and can also be used to gather scientific data for geological studies or earthquake prediction. The G-III airframe has been structurally modified to incorporate a MAU-12 ejector rack on the bottom of the fuselage on which a variety of experiments can be mounted. As a Multi-Role Cooperative Research Platform, the heavily instrumented twin-turbofan aircraft provides long-term capability for efficient testing of subsonic flight experiments for NASA, the U.S. Air Force, other government agencies, academia, and private industry. Originally designated a C-20A by the Air Force, the aircraft was declared excess by that service and transferred to NASA Dryden at Edwards AFB, Calif., in September 2002. Unmanned Air Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) The Unmanned Air Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) is an Earth Science Capabilities Demonstration project jointly developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in which a synthetic aperture radar is being flight-validated on a Grumman Gulfstream G-III in a specially designed pod that will be interoperable with both manned and unmanned aircraft. The modified G-III provides a platform to not only test and evaluate the new radar, but can also be used to gather scientific data for geological studies on earthquake prediction. In order to support the installation of the UAVSAR pod, the G-III airframe has been structurally modified to incorporate a MAU-12 ejector rack on the bottom of the fuselage. This unique G-III modification will remain available for use by future research projects. As a Multi-Role Cooperative Research Platform, the heavily instrumented twin-turbofan aircraft provides long-term capability for efficient testing of subsonic flight experiments for NASA, the U.S. Air Force, other government agencies, academia, and private industry. Originally designated a C-20A by the Air Force, the aircraft was declared excess by that service and transferred to NASA Dryden at Edwards AFB, Calif., in September 2002. The joint use of this aircraft is a result of the NASA Dryden/Edwards Air Force Base Alliance, which shares some resources as cost-cutting measures. Photo Description NASA's Gulfstream-III research testbed lifts off the Edwards AFB runway on an envelope-expansion flight test with the UAV synthetic aperture radar pod. February 26, 2007 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida ED07-0027-39 |
| Date |
6/24/08 |
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Autonomous Formation Flight
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EC01-0267-4 Flying an Autono
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4/23/09
| Description |
EC01-0267-4 Flying an Autonomous Formation Flight mission, two F/A-18's from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, gain altitude near Rogers Dry Lake. The Systems Research Aircraft (tail number 845) and F/A-18 tail number 847 are flying the second phase of a project that is demonstrating a 15-percent fuel savings of the trailing aircraft during cruise flight. Project goal was a 10-percent savings. The drag-reduction study mimics the formation of migrating birds. Scientists have known for years that the trailing birds require less energy than flying solo. ›, Read Project DescriptionSeptember 20, 2001 NASA Photo / Lori Losey |
| Date |
4/23/09 |
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Global Hawk
One of NASA's two Global Haw
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1/8/09
| Description |
One of NASA's two Global Hawk high-altitude unmanned science aircraft displays its contours outside its hangar at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. December 11, 2008 NASA Photo / Tony Landis ED08-0309-12 |
| Date |
1/8/09 |
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X-48B
A pristine blue sky backdrop
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7/3/08
| Description |
A pristine blue sky backdrops the X-48B Blended Wing Body aircraft during the aircraft's first flight July 20, 2007, from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. July 20, 2007 NASA / Carla Thomas ED07-0164-05 |
| Date |
7/3/08 |
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Global Hawk
One of NASA's two Global Haw
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1/8/09
| Description |
One of NASA's two Global Hawk unmanned high-altitude aircraft shows off its blue-and-white livery in front of its hangar at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. December 11, 2008 NASA Photo / Tony Landis ED08-0309-18 |
| Date |
1/8/09 |
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Global Hawk
Read News Release 09-03 NASA
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1/21/09
| Description |
Read News Release 09-03 NASA Dryden Flight Research Center director Kevin L. Petersen addresses dignitaries and news media representatives during unveiling of NASA's first Global Hawk autonomously operated aircraft at the center Jan. 15. This is one of two that will be used by NASA for Earth science missions and by Northrop Grumman Corp. for follow-on developmental testing. January 15, 2009 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida ED09-0010-023 |
| Date |
1/21/09 |
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Global Hawk
Read News Release 09-03 Now
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1/21/09
| Description |
Read News Release 09-03 Now in NASA's blue-and-white livery, this Northrop Grumman Global Hawk autonomously operated aircraft is the first of two Global Hawks obtained by NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center for environmental science missions that require its long-endurance, high-altitude capability. January 15, 2009 NASA Photo / Tony Landis ED09-0010-087 |
| Date |
1/21/09 |
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Global Hawk
Read News Release 09-03 NASA
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1/21/09
| Description |
Read News Release 09-03 NASA pilot / operator Mark Pestana points out graphic displays of flight data in the Global Hawk Operations Center at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. The center obtained two early-model Northrop Grumman Global Hawk autonomously operated aircraft from the Air Force for use on environmental science missions requiring the aircraft's high-altitude, long-endurance capabilities. January 15, 2009 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida ED09-0010-074 |
| Date |
1/21/09 |
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F-15B #837 Lancets Project
Read News Release 09-04 NASA
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1/26/09
| Description |
Read News Release 09-04 NASA Dryden's NF-15B tail number 837's canards are tilted down during a pre-flight control check prior to a Lancets project flight. NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center accomplished a series of flight tests to measure shock waves generated by an F-15 jet in support of the Lift and Nozzle Change Effects on Tail Shock, or Lancets, project. The research flights, flown December 2008 through January 2009, were aimed at providing data to help validate computer models that could be used in designing quieter supersonic aircraft. January 12, 2009 NASA Photo / Tony Landis ED09-0008-25 |
| Date |
1/26/09 |
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F-15B #837 Lancets Project
Read News Release 09-04 NASA
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1/22/09
| Description |
Read News Release 09-04 NASA Dryden's two F-15B research aircraft take off together on a Lancets project research mission. NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center accomplished a series of flight tests to measure shock waves generated by an F-15 jet in support of the Lift and Nozzle Change Effects on Tail Shock, or Lancets, project. The research flights, flown December 2008 through January 2009, were aimed at providing data to help validate computer models that could be used in designing quieter supersonic aircraft. January 12, 2009 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida ED09-0008-39 |
| Date |
1/22/09 |
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Orion Crew Module
NASA Dryden Flight Research
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7/15/08
| Description |
NASA Dryden Flight Research Center personnel accompany NASA's first Orion full-scale abort flight test crew module as it heads to it's new home. April 3, 2008 NASA / Tony Landis ED08-0085-145 |
| Date |
7/15/08 |
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Orion Crew Module
NASA Dryden Flight Research
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7/15/08
| Description |
NASA Dryden Flight Research Center technicians accompany NASA's first Orion full-scale abort flight test crew module as it heads to it's new home. April 1, 2008 NASA / Tony Landis ED08-0085-111 |
| Date |
7/15/08 |
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F-15B #837 Lancets Project
Read News Release 09-04 NASA
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1/22/09
| Description |
Read News Release 09-04 NASA Dryden's NF-15B, tail number 837, takes off with landing gear retracting on a Lancets project research mission. NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center accomplished a series of flight tests to measure shock waves generated by an F-15 jet in support of the Lift and Nozzle Change Effects on Tail Shock, or Lancets, project. The research flights, flown December 2008 through January 2009, were aimed at providing data to help validate computer models that could be used in designing quieter supersonic aircraft. January 12, 2009 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida ED09-0008-41 |
| Date |
1/22/09 |
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ER-2
News Release 06-25P ER-2 Alo
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7/1/08
| Description |
News Release 06-25P ER-2 Aloft Again After a lengthy downtime for a major overhaul, NASA 806, one of NASA's two high-flying ER-2 Earth resources aircraft, took to the skies recently from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on its first science mission in over two years. The flight checked out the functionality of sensitive instruments that will calibrate and validate data from sensors installed on the recently launched CALIPSO and CloudSat weather, climate and air quality monitoring satellites during a series of missions led by NASA's Langley Research Center with support from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in late July and August. CALIPSO, an acronym for Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations, combines an active lidar instrument with passive infrared and visible-light imagers to probe the vertical structure and properties of thin clouds and aerosols (airborne particles). The complimentary CloudSat satellite carries a cloud profiling radar system that uses microwave energy to observe cloud particles and determine the mass of water and ice within clouds. The mission will provide the first global survey of cloud properties that are critical for understanding their effects on both weather and climate. Flying in formation with three other satellites, CALIPSO and CloudSat are expected to provide scientists and meteorologists with a greater understanding of our climate system. Photo Description NASA Dryden life support technician Jim Sokolik assists pressure-suited pilot Dee Porter into the cockpit of NASA's ER-2 Earth resources aircraft. July 13, 2006 NASA Photo / Jim Ross ED06-0117-13 |
| Date |
7/1/08 |
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F-15B #837
Read News Release 09-04 With
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2/17/09
| Description |
Read News Release 09-04 With its afterburners roaring, NASA research pilot Jim Smolka pulls NASA's highly modified NF-15B research aircraft into a steep climb after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base on its final flight. Built in 1973 as the first two-seat TF-15, the canard-equipped aircraft with its brilliant red, white and blue plumage has been flown in several significant research and test programs for the U.S. Air Force, McDonnell Douglas and NASA over its almost 36ÔøΩÔøΩ_ÔøΩ__year lifetime, the last 14 years with NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. January 30, 2009 NASA Photo / Tony Landis ED09-0023-33 |
| Date |
2/17/09 |
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Ikhana
Project Description A Predat
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7/9/08
| Description |
Project Description A Predator B unmanned aircraft system is being used by NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., for a variety of environmental science and aeronautical research roles. Built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. of San Diego in 2006, the aircraft has been given the Choctaw Nation name "Ikhana" (pronounced ee-KAH-nah), which means intelligent. Designed for long-endurance, high-altitude flight, Ikhana is being flown primarily on Earth science missions under NASA's Science Mission Directorate. It is also be used for advanced aircraft systems research and technology development. As part of the Ikhana/Predator B acquisition, NASA also purchased a ground control station and satellite communication system for control of the aircraft and transmittal of research data. The ground control station is in a mobile trailer and, in addition to the pilot's "cockpit," includes computer workstations for scientists and engineers. All of the aircraft systems are mobile, making Ikhana ideal for remote studies. Photo Description A ground crewman unplugs electrical connections during pre-flight checks of NASA's Ikhana research aircraft. Ikhana's payload pod is mounted on the left wing. July 8, 2008 NASA Photo / Tony Landis ED08-0151-02 |
| Date |
7/9/08 |
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F-15B #836 Research Testbed
Read News Release 09-04 NASA
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2/9/09
| Description |
Read News Release 09-04 NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center has flown this modified F-15B Eagle as a research test bed and mission support aircraft since the early 1990s. The aircraft has been used as the platform for a wide range of experiments and research projects requiring an aircraft with supersonic capability. January 30, 2009 NASA Photo / Tony Landis ED09-0011-13 |
| Date |
2/9/09 |
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Ikhana
Project Description A Predat
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7/9/08
| Description |
Project Description A Predator B unmanned aircraft system is being used by NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., for a variety of environmental science and aeronautical research roles. Built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. of San Diego in 2006, the aircraft has been given the Choctaw Nation name "Ikhana" (pronounced ee-KAH-nah), which means intelligent. Designed for long-endurance, high-altitude flight, Ikhana is being flown primarily on Earth science missions under NASA's Science Mission Directorate. It is also be used for advanced aircraft systems research and technology development. As part of the Ikhana/Predator B acquisition, NASA also purchased a ground control station and satellite communication system for control of the aircraft and transmittal of research data. The ground control station is in a mobile trailer and, in addition to the pilot's "cockpit," includes computer workstations for scientists and engineers. All of the aircraft systems are mobile, making Ikhana ideal for remote studies. Photo Description Ground crewmen prepare NASA's IKhana remotely piloted research aircraft for another flight. Ikhana's infrared imaging sensor pod is visible under the left wing. July 8, 2008 NASA Photo / Tony Landis ED08-0151-07 |
| Date |
7/9/08 |
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Ikhana
NASA Aircraft Aiding Souther
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7/9/08
| Description |
NASA Aircraft Aiding Southern California Firefighting EffortRelease: 07-57 In response to a request from the California Office of Emergency Services and the National Interagency Fire Center, NASA is flying an aircraft equipped with sophisticated infrared imaging equipment today to assist firefighters battling several of the Southern California wildfires. The Ikhana unmanned aircraft system, a Predator B modified for civil science and research missions, was launched about 8:45 a.m. PDT from its base at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base. It is expected to fly over the major blazes burning in the Lake Arrowhead and Running Springs areas and possibly down into San Diego County to image wildfires raging in that area. The aircraft is controlled remotely by pilots in a ground control station at NASA Dryden. The Ikhana is carrying the Autonomous Modular Scanner, a thermal-infrared imaging system developed at NASA's Ames Research Center in Northern California. The system is capable of peering through heavy smoke and darkness to see hot spots, flames and temperature differences, processing the imagery on-board, and then transmitting that information in near real time so it can aid fire incident commanders in allocating their firefighting resources...Read more Photo Description: With smoke from the Lake Arrowhead, CA area fires streaming in the background, NASA's Ikhana unmanned aircraft heads out on a wildfire imaging mission. October 24, 2007 NASA Photo / Jim Ross ED07-0243-37 |
| Date |
7/9/08 |
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NF-15B #837 Final Flight
Read News Release 09-04 Rese
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2/17/09
| Description |
Read News Release 09-04 Research Pilot Jim Smolka checks the air data probe on the nose of NASA's highly modified NF-15B No. 837 prior to its final flight. The aircraft flew 251 missions in a variety of research projects during its 14-year stint at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. January 30, 2009 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida ED09-0023-06 |
| Date |
2/17/09 |
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F-15B #837 Final Flight
Read News Release 09-04 Rese
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2/17/09
| Description |
Read News Release 09-04 Research Pilot Jim Smolka checks the air data probe on the nose of NASA's highly modified NF-15B No. 837 prior to its final flight. The aircraft flew 251 missions in a variety of research projects during its 14-year stint at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. January 30, 2009 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida ED09-0023-07 |
| Date |
2/17/09 |
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F-15B #837 Final Flight
Read News Release 09-04 NASA
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2/17/09
| Description |
Read News Release 09-04 NASA's two F-15 research aircraft fly in tight formation moments before pitching up and out for landing. The red-white-and-blue NF-15B No. 837 was on its final flight prior to retirement when this photo was taken. The blue-and-white F-15B No. 836 will continue to be flown at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on a variety of research projects needing its supersonic capability. January 30, 2009 NASA Photo / Tony Landis ED09-0023-37 |
| Date |
2/17/09 |
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F-15B #836 Research Testbed
Project Description NASA's t
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9/23/08
| Description |
Project Description NASA's two F-15 research aircraft don't get a lot of flight hours, and it's even rarer to have them in the air together on the same mission. But research pilots Jim Smolka and Craig Bomben from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center put the highly modified aircraft through their paces during a mission over the Edwards Air Force Base test range in late July that supported the Intelligent Flight Control System's (IFCS) project. The canard-equipped F-15B tail number 837, NASA's IFCS aircraft, was flying structural mode validation flights at the time, leading to Generation II IFCS flights planned for later in 2005. F-15B tail number 836 was flying safety chase as well as for pilot proficiency in air refueling. Both aircraft performed aerial refueling from an Air Force KC-135 tanker aircraft. At the end of the mission, the two joined up for a formation fly-over of their home at NASA Dryden. Photo Description NASA's two modified F-15B research aircraft joined up for a fly-over of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards AFB, Calif., after a research mission. July 22, 2005 Nasa Photo /Tony Landis EC05-0148-31 |
| Date |
9/23/08 |
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F-15B #837 Final Flight
Read News Release 09-04 Flig
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2/17/09
| Description |
Read News Release 09-04 Flight test operations engineers Robert Rivera and Mike Thomson get the traditional splashing by ground crew and project staff after the final flight of NASA NF-15B No. 837. Rivera was in the back cockpit of 837 on its final flight, Thomson, deputy director of flight operations at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, was in the back seat of NASA's other F-15B the flew chase on the final mission. January 30, 2009 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida ED09-0023-65 |
| Date |
2/17/09 |
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F-15B #837 Final Flight
Read News Release 09-04 As a
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2/17/09
| Description |
Read News Release 09-04 As a videographer records his comments for history, NASA research pilot Jim Smolka recounts some highlights of his 14 years experience in flying NASA's NF-15B research jet behind him following its final flight. Smolka was instrumental in bringing the unique aircraft to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, and flew most of the 251 research missions the aircraft logged between 1995 and 2009 while it was being flown at NASA Dryden. January 30, 2009 NASA Photo / Tom Tschida ED09-0023-74 |
| Date |
2/17/09 |
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F-15B #836 Research Testbed
Project Description Before t
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9/23/08
| Description |
Project Description Before the Space Shuttle could safely return to flight, engineers needed data on how insulating foam debris or "divots" behaved when these small pieces were shed from the Shuttle's external fuel tank during launch. NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center conducted a series of flight tests of the divots as part of the Return to Flight team effort. The Lifting Insulating Foam Trajectory (LIFT) flight test series at Dryden used the center's F-15B Research Testbed aircraft to test these "divots" in a real flight environment at speeds up to about Mach 2, or twice the speed of sound. Small-scale divoting occurs when the adhesive on the external tank thermal protection system (TPS) foam fails. This occurs as a result of decreasing atmospheric pressure combined with increased heating during Shuttle ascent causing air trapped beneath the TPS to expand. Objectives of the LIFT flight tests on the F-15B included determining divot structural survivability and stability in flight and quantifying divot trajectories using videography. The flight data of divot trajectories could also be used for Computational Fluid Dynamic code validation. NASA's Space Shuttle Systems Engineering and Integration office at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas, funded the LIFT flight tests at NASA Dryden as part of the Space Shuttle Return-to-Flight effort. The LIFT flight test required two new capabilities: an in-flight foam divot ejection system, and a high-speed video system to track and record the trajectories of the divots in flight. Both capabilities were developed by Dryden engineers in just over two months. Dryden's LIFT team designed, fabricated, and ground-tested four different divot ejection systems, completing 70 ground tests to determine and refine the best approach. NASA Dryden engineers also designed and procured the very high-speed digital video equipment, including development of a system to synchronize the cameras with the divot ejection system. In addition, they developed videography analysis techniques in order to quantify divot trajectories. Photo Description Two panels of Space Shuttle TPS insulation were mounted on the flight test fixture underneath NASA's F-15B during the Lifting Foam Trajectory flight test series. February 16, 2005 Nasa Photo / Jim Ross EC05-0030-12 |
| Date |
9/23/08 |
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ER-2
One of NASA's ER-2 high-alti
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2/19/09
| Description |
One of NASA's ER-2 high-altitude Earth science aircraft banks away from the photo chase plane during a flight over a southern Sierra Nevada snowscape. NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center operates two of the Lockheed-built aircraft on a wide variety of environmental science, atmospheric sampling and satellite data verification missions. February 26, 2008 NASA Photo / Carla Thomas ED08-0053-07 |
| Date |
2/19/09 |
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NASA Presents Safety Award t
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Read News Release 09-07 NASA
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2/25/09
| Description |
Read News Release 09-07 NASA has presented its Quality and Safety Achievement Recognition, or QASAR, award for 2008 to Daniel J. Crowley, director of Facilities Engineering and Asset Management at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. Photo Description: Daniel J. Crowley Director, Facilities Engineering and Asset Management NASA Dryden Flight Research Center NASA Photo ED07-0150-09 |
| Date |
2/25/09 |
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Dryden Center Director
Kevin L. Petersen Director N
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3/10/09
| Description |
Kevin L. Petersen Director NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Read News Release 09-09 NASA Photo ED07-0126-04 |
| Date |
3/10/09 |
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F-15B #836 Research Testbed
Project Description NASA's D
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9/23/08
| Description |
Project Description NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California, conducted a series of flights with the center's F-15B Research Testbed aircraft in support of Space Shuttle Return-to-Flight engineering efforts. The Shuttle Return to Flight team requested data on the structural survivability of external tank insulating foam debris or "divots" that are shed from the tank during a Shuttle launch. The Lifting Insulating Foam Trajectory (LIFT) flight test series used NASA's F-15B to test these ÔøΩÔøΩ_ÔøΩ__divotsÔøΩÔøΩ_ÔøΩ__ in a real flight environment at speeds up to about Mach 2. Small-scale divoting, commonly called popcorning, results from adhesive strength failure of external tank thermal protection system (TPS) foam brought about by decreasing atmospheric pressure combined with increased heating during Shuttle ascent. According to LIFT project manager Stephen Corda, objectives of the flight tests on the F-15B included determining divot structural survivability in a flight environment, assessing divot stability, quantifying divot trajectories using videography, and providing flight verification of debris tracking systems to be used for Shuttle launches. "We're using the unique capabilities of the supersonic F-15B aircraft and the aerodynamic flight test fixture to provide a means to eject these debris or divots from the fixture, and then photograph them with a high speed digital video system, where we're able to video these divots in flight at up to 10,000 frames per second," Corda noted. The debris tracking systems were verified using the F-15B as a surrogate Space Shuttle while the aircraft ejects TPS foam divots. These tracking systems included a Weibel Doppler radar and a high-definition video system aboard a NASA WB-57 aircraft. NASA' s Space Shuttle Systems Engineering and Integration office at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas, funded the LIFT flight tests at NASA Dryden as part of the STS-114 Return-to-Flight effort. JSC aeroscience engineer Ricardo Machin said the current LIFT flight tests will help them validate the models that they use for debris transport analysis. "In particular, it's going to help us understand whether the divots break up once they come off the external tank, and secondly whether they will trim and begin to fly, or if they'll tumble. The difference between trimming and flying makes a huge difference ÔøΩÔøΩ_ÔøΩ__ the amount of kinetic energy that this piece of debris can impart to the shuttle," Machin said. The LIFT flight test requires two new capabilities: an in-flight foam divot ejection system, and a high-speed video system to track and record the trajectories of the divots in flight. Both capabilities were developed by Dryden engineers. Dryden's LIFT team designed, fabricated, and ground-tested four different divot ejection systems, completing 70 ground tests to determine and refine the best approach. NASA Dryden engineers designed and procured the very high-speed digital video equipment, including development of a system to synchronize the cameras with the divot ejection system. In addition, they developed videography analysis techniques in order to quantify divot trajectories. The Dryden team completed the design and ground tests of these systems over a compact 2 1/2-month period. Photo Description A close-up of the panels on the F-15B's flight test fixture shows five divots of TPS foam were successfully ejected during the LIFT experiment. February 16, 2005 Nasa Photo / Tony Landis EC05-0030-03 |
| Date |
9/23/08 |
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Chief pilot Gordon Fullerton
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NASA Dryden Flight Research
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9/30/08
| Description |
NASA Dryden Flight Research Center's chief pilot Gordon Fullerton in the cockpit of the center's T-38 Talon mission support aircraft. February 24, 2005 NASA / Photo Tony Landis EC05-0041-5 |
| Date |
9/30/08 |
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Dryden's T-38 Talon Trainer
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NASA Dryden's T-38 Talon tra
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10/2/08
| Description |
NASA Dryden's T-38 Talon trainer jet in flight over the main base complex at Edwards Air Force Base. Formerly at NASA's Langley Research Center, this Northrop T-38 Talon is now used for mission support and pilot proficiency at the Dryden Flight Research Center. May 5, 2006 NASA / photo Jim Ross ED06-0072-2 |
| Date |
10/2/08 |
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NASA Dryden's T-38 Talon Tra
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NASA Dryden's T-38 Talon tra
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10/2/08
| Description |
NASA Dryden's T-38 Talon trainer aircraft in flight near Edwards Air Force Base. Formerly at NASA's Langley Research Center, this Northrop T-38 Talon is now used for mission support and pilot proficiency at the Dryden Flight Research Center. May 5, 2006 NASA / Photo Jim Ross ED06-0072-4 |
| Date |
10/2/08 |
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Northrop T-38 Talon During M
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NASA Dryden's T-38 trainer a
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10/2/08
| Description |
NASA Dryden's T-38 trainer aircraft in flight over Cuddeback Dry Lake in Southern California. Formerly at NASA's Langley Research Center, this Northrop T-38 Talon is now used for mission support and pilot proficiency at the Dryden Flight Research Center. May 5, 2006 NASA / Photo Jim Ross ED06-0072-8 |
| Date |
10/2/08 |
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Intern Steven Humphrey
Steven Humphrey, a mechanica
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3/20/09
| Description |
Steven Humphrey, a mechanical engineering graduate of the University of South Florida in Tampa, is interning at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center located on Edwards Air Force Base in California. He operates displays used for an interactive computer software system that gathers, retains and interprets flight data from sensors installed on NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy 747SP aircraft. (NASA photo / Tom Tschida) March 18, 2009 NASA Photo ED09-0061-08 |
| Date |
3/20/09 |
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HiMAT
EC79-12055 <b /> The HiMAT (
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4/20/09
| Description |
EC79-12055 <b /> The HiMAT (Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology) subscale research vehicle, seen here after landing to conclude a research flight, was flown by the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, from mid 1979 to January 1983. The aircraft demonstrated advanced fighter technologies that have been used in the development of many modern high performance military aircraft. HiMAT Project Description January 3, 1980 NASA photo |
| Date |
4/20/09 |
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Two T-38A Mission Support Ai
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NASA Dryden Flight Research
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10/3/08
| Description |
NASA Dryden Flight Research Center's two T-38A Talon mission support aircraft flew together for the first time on Sept. 26, 2007 while conducting pitot-static airspeed calibration checks during routine pilot proficiency flights. The two aircraft, flown by NASA research pilots Kelly Latimer and Frank Batteas, joined up with a NASA Dryden F/A-18 flown by NASA research pilot Dick Ewers to fly the airspeed calibrations at several speeds and altitudes that would be flown by the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) Boeing 747SP during its initial flight test phase. The T-38s, along with F/A-18s, serve in a safety chase role during those test missions, providing critical instrument and visual monitoring for the flight test series. ED07-0222-23 |
| Date |
10/3/08 |
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