Browse All : Images of Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) and Edwards Air Force Base

On the Tarmac

Space shuttle Atlantis on to …

6/3/09

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

X-38

One of NASA's three X-38 Cre …

11/4/09

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

Preparing for the Voyage Hom …

Members of the STS-128 missi …

9/14/09

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

G-III

Project Description NASA's m …

6/24/08

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

F-15B #837

Read News Release 09-04 With …

2/17/09

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

Ikhana

NASA Aircraft Aiding Souther …

7/9/08

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

F-15B #836 Research Testbed

Project Description NASA's t …

9/23/08

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

F-15B #836 Research Testbed

Project Description NASA's D …

9/23/08

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

Dryden's T-38 Talon Trainer Jet in Flight

Dryden's T-38 Talon Trainer …

NASA Dryden's T-38 Talon tra …

10/2/08

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

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

NASA Dryden's T-38 Talon Tra …

NASA Dryden's T-38 Talon tra …

10/2/08

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

Intern Steven Humphrey

Steven Humphrey, a mechanica …

3/20/09

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

Shuttle Columbia in the Mate-Demate at NASA Dryden.

Shuttle Columbia in the Mate …

The Space Shuttle Columbia c …

10/9/08

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

Shuttle Discovery Night Land …

Space Shuttle Discovery land …

10/9/08

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

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

NASA's Crew Transport Vehicl …

10/9/08

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

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

Shuttle Discovery Rests on t …

The sun rises on the Space S …

10/9/08

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

Guppy

EC00-0212-13Members of the f …

4/20/09

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

Guppy

EC00-0212-2NASA's B377SGT Su …

4/20/09

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

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

Shuttle Discovery on the Run …

The sun rises on the Space S …

10/9/08

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

Shuttle Discovery, with recovery Vehicles, is to the Taxiway

Shuttle Discovery, with reco …

Space Shuttle Discovery, acc …

10/9/08

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

Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology (ACAT)

Automatic Collision Avoidanc …

ED09-0070-21 The U.S. Air Fo …

4/22/09

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

STS-125

ED09-0127-099 Space Shuttle …

6/1/09

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

STS-125

ED09-0127-110 Southern Calif …

6/1/09

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

X-40A Space Manuever Vehicle

EC01-0070-1 The X-40A immedi …

03/14/2001

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

STS-126

Under soggy skies on a Sunda …

12/8/08

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

Active Aeroelastic Wing (AAW …

EC02-0264-01 The Active Aero …

4/23/09

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

Automatic Collision Avoidanc …

ED09-0118-4 F-16D (ACAT) The …

7/27/09

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

C-17 with Orion CM Aboard Ta …

ED09-0234-05 An Air Force C- …

8/19/09

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

C-17 with Orion CM Aboard Ta …

ED09-0234-12 An Air Force C- …

8/19/09

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

STS-128

ED09-0253-09 Members of the …

9/12/09

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

STS-128

ED09-0253-13 Mission special …

9/12/09

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

Lunar Landing Research Vehicle in Flight

Lunar Landing Research Vehic …

Title	Lunar Landing Research Vehicle in Flight
Full Description	This 1964 NASA Flight Reserch Center photograph shows the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) Number 1 in flight at the South Base of Edwards Air Force Base. When Apollo planning was underway in 1960, NASA was looking for a simulator to profile the descent to the moon's surface. Three concepts emerged: an electronic simulator, a tethered device, and the ambitious Dryden contribution, a free-flying vehicle. All three became serious projects, but eventually the NASA Flight Research Center's (FRC) Landing Research Vehicle became the most important.
Date	01/01/1964
NASA Center	Dryden Flight Research Center

Paresev 1-B in Tow Flight

Title	Paresev 1-B in Tow Flight
Full Description	The Paresev experimental aircraft. A normal flight was a takeoff on the Rogers Dry Lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base and a circling flight path skirting the lake edges to insure a landing on the lakebed in the event of a towline failure. Release altitude was normally 10,000 to 13,000 feet. Data was obtained on the glide part of the flight. By maintaining simplicity during construction, it was possible to make control and configuration changes overnight and in many instances, in minutes.
Date	01/01/1964
NASA Center	Dryden Flight Research Center

Pathfinder Aircraft in Fligh …

Title	Pathfinder Aircraft in Flight
Full Description	The Pathfinder research aircraft's wing structure was clearly defined as it soared under a clear blue sky during a test flight July 27, 1995, from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The center section and outer wing panels of the aircraft had ribs constructed of thin plastic foam, while the ribs in the inner wing panels are fabricated from lightweight composite material. Developed by AeroVironment, Inc., the Pathfinder was one of several unmanned aircraft being evaluated under NASA's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) program. Pathfinder was a lightweight, solar-powered, remotely piloted flying wing aircraft used to demonstrate the use of solar power for long- duration, high-altitude flight. Its name denotes its mission as the "Pathfinder" or first in a series of solar-powered aircraft that will be able to remain airborne for weeks or months on scientific sampling and imaging missions. Solar arrays covered most of the upper wing surface of the Pathfinder aircraft. These arrays provided up to 8,000 watts of power at high noon on a clear summer day. That power fed the aircraft's six electric motors as well as its avionics, communications, and other electrical systems. Pathfinder also had a backup battery system that could provide power for two to five hours, allowing for limited-duration flight after dark. Pathfinder flew at airspeeds of only 15 to 20 mph. Pitch control was maintained by using tiny elevators on the trailing edge of the wing while turns and yaw control were accomplished by slowing down or speeding up the motors on the outboard sections of the wing. On September 11, 1995, Pathfinder set a new altitude record for solar- powered aircraft of 50,567 feet above Edwards Air Force Base, California, on a 12-hour flight. On July 7, 1997, it set another, unofficial record of 71,500 feet at the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai, Hawaii. In 1998, Pathfinder was modified into the longer-winged Pathfinder Plus configuration.
Date	07/27/1995
NASA Center	Dryden Flight Research Center

Shuttle Enterprise Free Flig …

Title	Shuttle Enterprise Free Flight
Full Description	The Space Shuttle prototype Enterprise flies free after being released from NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) over Rogers Dry Lakebed during the second of five free flights carried out at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, as part of the Shuttle program's Approach and Landing Tests (ALT). The tests were conducted to verify orbiter aerodynamics and handling characteristics in preparation for orbital flights with the Space Shuttle Columbia beginning in April 1981. A tail cone over the main engine area of Enterprise smoothed out turbulent air flow during flight. It was removed on the two last free flights to accurately check approach and landing characteristics. A series of test flights during which Enterprise was taken aloft atop the SCA, but was not released, preceded the free flight tests. The Space Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) program allowed pilots and engineers to learn how the Space Shuttle and the modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) handled during low-speed flight and landing. The Enterprise, a prototype of the Space Shuttles, and the SCA were flown to conduct the approach and landing tests at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, from February to October 1977. The first flight of the program consisted of the Space Shuttle Enterprise attached to the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. These flights were to determine how well the two vehicles flew together. Five "captive-inactive" flights were flown during this first phase in which there was no crew in the Enterprise. The next series of captive flights was flown with a flight crew of two on board the prototype Space Shuttle. Only three such flights proved necessary. This led to the free-flight test series. The free-flight phase of the ALT program allowed pilots and engineers to learn how the Space Shuttle handled in low-speed flight and landing attitudes. For these landings, the Enterprise was flown by a crew of two after it was released from the top of the SCA. The vehicle was released at altitudes ranging from 19,000 to 26,000 feet. The Enterprise had no propulsion system, but its first four glides to the Rogers Dry Lake runway provided realistic, in-flight simulations of how subsequent Space Shuttles would be flown at the end of an orbital mission. The fifth approach and landing test, with the Enterprise landing on the Edwards Air Force Base concrete runway, revealed a problem with the Space Shuttle flight control system that made it susceptible to Pilot-Induced Oscillation (PIO), a potentially dangerous control problem during a landing. Further research using other NASA aircraft, especially the F-8 Digital-Fly-By-Wire aircraft, led to correction of the PIO problem before the first orbital flight. The Enterprise's last free-flight was October 26, 1977, after which it was ferried to other NASA centers for ground-based flight simulations that tested Space Shuttle systems and structure.
Date	01/01/1977
NASA Center	Dryden Flight Research Center

X-2 with Collapsed Nose Whee …

Title	X-2 with Collapsed Nose Wheel
Full Description	This 1952 photograph shows the X-2 #2 with a collapsed nose landing gear after landing on the first glide flight at Edwards Air Force Base. The aircraft pitched at landing, slid along its main skid and contacted the ground with the right wingtip bumper skid causing it to break off. The nose wheel had collapsed upon contacting the ground.
Date	01/01/1952
NASA Center	Dryden Flight Research Center

Lunar Landing Research Vehic …

Title	Lunar Landing Research Vehicle in Flight
Full Description	In this 1965 NASA Flight Research Center photograph the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) is shown at near maximum altitude over the south base at Edwards Air Force Base. Built of tubular aluminum like a giant four-legged bedstead, the vehicle was to simulate a lunar landing profile from around 1500 feet to the moon's surface. To do this, the LLRV had a General Electric CF- 700-2V turbofan engine mounted vertically in gimbals, with 4200 pounds of thrust. The engine, using JP-4 fuel, got the vehicle up to the test altitude and was then throttled back to support five-sixths of the vehicle's weight, simulating the reduced gravity of the moon. Two hydrogen-peroxide lift rockets with thrust that could be varied from 100 to 500 pounds handled the LLRV's rate of descent and horizontal translations. Sixteen smaller hydrogen-peroxide rockets, mounted in pairs, gave the pilot control in pitch, yaw, and roll. On the LLRV, in case of jet engine failure, six 500-pounds-of thrust rockets could be used by the pilot to carefully apply lift thrust during the rapid descent to hopefully achieve a controllable landing. The pilot's platform extended forward between two legs while an electronics platform, similarly located, extended rearward. The pilot had a zero-zero ejection seat that would lift him away to safety. Weight and balance design constraints were among the most challenging to meet for all phases of the program (design, development, operations).
Date	01/01/1965
NASA Center	Dryden Flight Research Center

Theseus taking off at Edward …

Crew members service the Pathfinder solar-powered aircraft on Rogers Dry Lake after a research flight at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California.

Pathfinder on lakebed after …

Photo Description	Crew members service the Pathfinder solar-powered aircraft on Rogers Dry Lake after a research flight at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California.
Project Description	Pathfinder was a lightweight, solar-powered, remotely piloted flying wing aircraft used to demonstrate the use of solar power for long-duration, high-altitude flight. Its name denotes its mission as the "Pathfinder" or first in a series of solar-powered aircraft that will be able to remain airborne for weeks or months on scientific sampling and imaging missions. Solar arrays covered most of the upper wing surface of the Pathfinder aircraft. These arrays provided up to 8,000 watts of power at high noon on a clear summer day. That power fed the aircraft?s six electric motors as well as its avionics, communications, and other electrical systems. Pathfinder also had a backup battery system that could provide power for two to five hours, allowing for limited-duration flight after dark. Pathfinder flew at airspeeds of only 15 to 20 mph. Pitch control was maintained by using tiny elevators on the trailing edge of the wing while turns and yaw control were accomplished by slowing down or speeding up the motors on the outboard sections of the wing. On September 11, 1995, Pathfinder set a new altitude record for solar-powered aircraft of 50,567 feet above Edwards Air Force Base, California, on a 12-hour flight. On July 7, 1997, it set another, unofficial record of 71,500 feet at the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai, Hawaii. In 1998, Pathfinder was modified into the longer-winged Pathfinder Plus configuration. (See the Pathfinder Plus photos and project description.)
Photo Date	1995