Browse All : Images of Johnson Space Center (JSC) and California and Edwards Air Force Base

Columbia On Final Approach

Title	Columbia On Final Approach
Full Description	The underside of Columbia as it makes its final approach before landing on the Rogers Dry Lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The Shuttle was piloted by Richard Truly who would go on to become NASA's eighth Administrator.
Date	11/16/1981
NASA Center	Johnson Space Center

Sally Ride, First U.S. Woman …

Title	Sally Ride, First U.S. Woman in Space
Full Description	Sally Ride was the first American woman in space. Born on May 26, 1951 in Los Angeles, California, she received a Bachelor in Physics and English in 1973 from Stanford University and, later, a Master in Physics in 1975 and a Doctorate in Physics in 1978, also from Stanford. NASA selected Dr. Ride as an astronaut candidate in January 1978. She completed her training in August 1979, and began her astronaut career as a mission specialist on STS-7, which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida on June 18, 1983. The mission spent 147 hours in space before landing on a lakebed runway at Edwards Air Force Base, California on June 24, 1983. Dr. Ride also served as a mission specialist on STS-41-G, which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida on October 5, 1984 and landed 197 hours later at Kennedy Space Center, Florida on October 13, 1984. In June 1985, NASA assigned Dr. Ride to serve as mission specialist on STS-61-M. She discontinued mission training in January 1986 to serve as a member of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger accident, also known as the Rogers Commission. Upon completing the investigation she returned to NASA Headquarters as Special Assistant to the Administrator for Long Range and Strategic Planning, where she lead a team that wrote NASA Leadership and America's Future in Space:A Report to the Administrator in August 1987. Dr. Ride has also written a children's book, To Space and Back, describing her experiences in space, has received the Jefferson Award for Public Service, and has twice been awarded the National Spaceflight Medal. Her latest books include Voyager: An Adventure to the Edge of the Solar System and The Third Planet: Exploring the Earth from Space. She was also a member of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB), which investigated the February 1, 2003 loss of Space Shuttle Columbia. Dr. Ride is currently a physics professor and Director of the California Space Institute at the University of California, San Diego.
Date	06/1984
NASA Center	Johnson Space Center

X-38 research aircraft - sec …

X-38 research aircraft - Fir …

NASA engineer Wayne Peterson …

Photo Date	December 13, 2001

C. Gordon Fullerton

Photo Date	1989

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 flight #2, the first flight with TPS foam.

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 flight #2, the first flight with TPS foam.
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 ?divots? 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 ? 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 Date	February 16, 2005

All six divots of thermal insulation foam have been ejected from the flight test fixture on NASA's F-15B testbed as it returns from a LIFT experiment flight.

Photo Description	All six divots of thermal insulation foam have been ejected from the flight test fixture on NASA's F-15B testbed as it returns from a LIFT experiment flight.
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 ?divots? 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 ? 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 Date	February 14, 2005

One of NASA?s Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft flies over the Dryden Flight Research Center main building at Edwards Air Force Base, Edwards, California, in May 1999.

Photo Description	One of NASA?s Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft flies over the Dryden Flight Research Center main building at Edwards Air Force Base, Edwards, California, in May 1999.
Project Description	NASA uses two modified Boeing 747 jetliners, originally manufactured for commercial use, as Space Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA). One is a 747-100 model, while the other is designated a 747-100SR (short range). The two aircraft are identical in appearance and in their performance as Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The 747 series of aircraft are four-engine intercontinental-range swept-wing "jumbo jets" that entered commercial service in 1969. The SCAs are used to ferry space shuttle orbiters from landing sites back to the launch complex at the Kennedy Space Center, and also to and from other locations too distant for the orbiters to be delivered by ground transportation. The orbiters are placed atop the SCAs by Mate-Demate Devices, large gantry-like structures which hoist the orbiters off the ground for post-flight servicing, and then mate them with the SCAs for ferry flights. Features which distinguish the two SCAs from standard 747 jetliners are: o Three struts, with associated interior structural strengthening, protruding from the top of the fuselage (two aft, one forward) on which the orbiter is attached o Two additional vertical stabilizers, one on each end of the standard horizontal stabilizer, to enhance directional stability o Removal of all interior furnishings and equipment aft of the forward No. 1 doors o Instrumentation used by SCA flight crews and engineers to monitor orbiter electrical loads during the ferry flights and also during pre- and post-ferry flight operations. The two SCAs are under the operational control of NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, Tex. NASA 905 NASA 905 was the first SCA. It was obtained from American Airlines in 1974. Shortly after it was accepted by NASA it was flown in a series of wake vortex research flights at the Dryden Flight Research Center in a study to seek ways of reducing turbulence produced by large aircraft. Pilots flying as much as several miles behind large aircraft have encountered wake turbulence that have caused control problems. The NASA study helped the Federal Aviation Administration modify flight procedures for commercial aircraft during airport approaches and departures. Following the wake vortex studies, NASA 905 was modified by Boeing to its present SCA configuration and the aircraft was returned to Dryden for its role in the 1977 Space Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests (ALT). This series of eight captive and five free flights with the orbiter prototype Enterprise, in addition to ground taxi tests, validated the aircraft's performance as an SCA, in addition to verifying the glide and landing characteristics of the orbiter configuration -- paving the way for orbital flights. A flight crew escape system, consisting of an exit tunnel extending from the flight deck to a hatch in the bottom of the fuselage, was installed during the modifications. The system also included a pyrotechnic system to activate the hatch release and cabin window release mechanisms. The, flight crew escape system was removed from the NASA 905 following the successful completion of the ALT program. NASA 905 was the only SCA used by the space shuttle program until November 1990, when NASA 911 was delivered as an SCA. Along with ferrying Enterprise and the flight-rated orbiters between the launch and landing sites and other locations, NASA 905 also ferried Enterprise to Europe for display in England and at the Paris Air Show. NASA 911 The second SCA is designated NASA 911. It was obtained by NASA from Japan Airlines (JAL) in 1989. It was also modified by Boeing Corporation. It was delivered to NASA 20 November 1990.
Photo Date	May 1999

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

The X-38 Second Prototype Gl …

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

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

The X-38 Second Prototype Fl …

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

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

The SOFIA flight crew descen …

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

Shuttle landing at Edwards A …

Shuttle landing on lakebed a …

NASA engineer Wayne Peterson …

Title	NASA engineer Wayne Peterson from the Johnson Space Center reviews postflight checklists following a
Description	NASA engineer Wayne Peterson from the Johnson Space Center reviews postflight checklists following a spectacular flight of the X-38 prototype for a crew recovery vehicle that may be built for the International Space Station. The X-38 tested atmospheric flight characteristics on December 13, 2001, in a descent from 45,000 feet to Rogers Dry Lake at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center/Edwards Air Force Base complex in California.
Date	12.13.2001

C. Gordon Fullerton

Title	C. Gordon Fullerton
Description	C. Gordon Fullerton is a research pilot at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. His assignments include a variety of flight research and support activities piloting NASA's B-52 launch aircraft, the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), and other multi-engine and high performance aircraft. Fullerton, who has logged 382 hours in space flight, was a NASA astronaut from September 1969 until November 1986 when he joined the Flight Crew Branch at Dryden. In July 1988, he completed a 30-year career with the U.S. Air Force and retired as a colonel. As the project pilot on the NASA B-52 launch aircraft, Fullerton flew during the first six air launches of the commercially developed Pegasus space vehicle. He was involved in a series of development air launches of the X-38 Crew Recovery Vehicle and in the Pegasus launch of the X-43A Hyper-X advanced propulsion project. Fullerton also flies Dryden's DC-8 Airborne Science aircraft, regularly deployed worldwide to support a variety of research studies, including atmospheric physics, ground mapping and meteorology. In addition to these current activities, Fullerton has been involved in numerous other research programs at Dryden. He was the project pilot on the Propulsion Controlled Aircraft program, during which he successfully landed both a modified F-15 and an MD-11 transport with all control surfaces neutralized, using only engine thrust modulation for control. Assigned to evaluate the flying qualities of the Russian Tu-144 supersonic transport during two flights in 1998, he reached a speed of Mach 2 and became one of only two non-Russian pilots to fly that aircraft. He piloted a Convair 990 modified to test space shuttle landing gear components during many very high-speed landings. Other projects for which he has flown in the past include the C-140 JetStar Laminar Flow Control, F-111 Mission Adaptive Wing, F-14 Variable Sweep Flow Transition, Space Shuttle drag chute and F-111 crew module parachute tests with the B-52, X-29 vortex flow control, and the F-18 Systems Research Aircraft. With more than15,000 hours of flying time, Fullerton has piloted 135 different types of aircraft, including full qualification in the T-33, T-34, T-37, T-38, T-39, F-86, F-101, F-104, F-106, F-111, F-14, F-15, X-29, KC-135, C-140, B-47, and he currently flies the F/A-18, B-52, DC-8, B-747, and T-34C. Born Oct. 11, 1936, in Rochester, N. Y., Fullerton graduated from U.S. Grant High School, Portland, Ore. He earned bachelor of science and master of science degrees in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, in 1957 and l958, respectively. Fullerton entered the U. S. Air Force in July 1958 after working as a mechanical design engineer for Hughes Aircraft Co., Culver City, California. After flight school, he was trained as an F-86 interceptor pilot, and later became a B-47 bomber pilot at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, Ariz. In 1964 he was selected to attend, the Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School (now the Air Force Test Pilot School), Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Upon graduation he was assigned as a test pilot with the Bomber Operations Division at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio. Fullerton served as a flight crew member for the Air Force Manned Orbiting Laboratory program from 1966 through1969. After assignment to the NASA Johnson Space Center, as an astronaut Fullerton served on the support crews for the Apollo 14, 15, 16, and 17 lunar missions. In 1977, Fullerton was assigned to one of the two two-man flight crews that piloted the Space Shuttle prototype Enterprise during the Approach and Landing Test Program at Dryden. Fullerton was the pilot on the eight-day STS-3 Space Shuttle orbital flight test mission Mar. 22-30, 1982. The mission exposed the orbiter Columbia to extremes in thermal stress and tested the 50-foot Remote Manipulator System used to grapple and maneuver payloads in orbit. STS-3 landed at White Sands, N.M., because Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards was wet due to heavy seasonal rains. Fullerton was commander of the STS-51F Spacelab 2 mission, launched on July 29, 1985. This mission, with the orbiter Challenger, was the first pallet-only Spacelab mission and the first to operate the Spacelab Instrument Pointing System (IPS). It carried 13 major experiments in the fields of astronomy, solar physics, ionospheric science, life science, and materiel science (a super fluid helium experiment). The mission ended August 6, 1985, with a landing at Dryden. Among the special awards and honors Fullerton has received are the Iven C. Kincheloe Award from the Society of Experimental Test Pilots in 1978, Department of Defense Distinguished Service and Superior Service Medals, Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross, NASA Distinguished and Exceptional Service Medals, NASA Space Flight Medals in 1983 and 1985, General Thomas D. White Space Trophy, Haley Space Flight Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, American Astronautical Society Flight Achievement Awards for 1977, 1981, and 1985, the Certificate of Achievement Award from the Soaring Society of America, and the Ray E. Tenhoff Award from the Society of Experimental Test Pilots in 1992 and 1993. Fullerton was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame in 1982. He is a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, member of Tau Beta Pi, an engineering honorary fraternity, honorary member of the National World War II Glider Pilot Association, and a Fellow of the American Astronautical Society.
Date	01.01.1989

One of NASA's Two Modified B …

Title	One of NASA's Two Modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier (SCA) Aircraft in Flight over NASA Dryden Flig
Description	One of NASA's Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft flies over the Dryden Flight Research Center main building at Edwards Air Force Base, Edwards, California, in May 1999. NASA uses two modified Boeing 747 jetliners, originally manufactured for commercial use, as Space Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA). One is a 747-100 model, while the other is designated a 747-100SR (short range). The two aircraft are identical in appearance and in their performance as Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The 747 series of aircraft are four-engine intercontinental-range swept-wing "jumbo jets" that entered commercial service in 1969. The SCAs are used to ferry space shuttle orbiters from landing sites back to the launch complex at the Kennedy Space Center, and also to and from other locations too distant for the orbiters to be delivered by ground transportation. The orbiters are placed atop the SCAs by Mate-Demate Devices, large gantry-like structures which hoist the orbiters off the ground for post-flight servicing, and then mate them with the SCAs for ferry flights. Features which distinguish the two SCAs from standard 747 jetliners are: o Three struts, with associated interior structural strengthening, protruding from the top of the fuselage (two aft, one forward) on which the orbiter is attached o Two additional vertical stabilizers, one on each end of the standard horizontal stabilizer, to enhance directional stability o Removal of all interior furnishings and equipment aft of the forward No. 1 doors o Instrumentation used by SCA flight crews and engineers to monitor orbiter electrical loads during the ferry flights and also during pre- and post-ferry flight operations. The two SCAs are under the operational control of NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, Tex. NASA 905 NASA 905 was the first SCA. It was obtained from American Airlines in 1974. Shortly after it was accepted by NASA it was flown in a series of wake vortex research flights at the Dryden Flight Research Center in a study to seek ways of reducing turbulence produced by large aircraft. Pilots flying as much as several miles behind large aircraft have encountered wake turbulence that have caused control problems. The NASA study helped the Federal Aviation Administration modify flight procedures for commercial aircraft during airport approaches and departures. Following the wake vortex studies, NASA 905 was modified by Boeing to its present SCA configuration and the aircraft was returned to Dryden for its role in the 1977 Space Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests (ALT). This series of eight captive and five free flights with the orbiter prototype Enterprise, in addition to ground taxi tests, validated the aircraft's performance as an SCA, in addition to verifying the glide and landing characteristics of the orbiter configuration -- paving the way for orbital flights. A flight crew escape system, consisting of an exit tunnel extending from the flight deck to a hatch in the bottom of the fuselage, was installed, during the modifications. The system also included a pyrotechnic system to activate the hatch release and cabin window release mechanisms. The flight crew escape system was removed from the NASA 905 following the successful completion of the ALT program. NASA 905 was the only SCA used by the space shuttle program until November 1990, when NASA 911 was delivered as an SCA. Along with ferrying Enterprise and the flight-rated orbiters between the launch and landing sites and other locations, NASA 905 also ferried Enterprise to Europe for display in England and at the Paris Air Show. NASA 911 The second SCA is designated NASA 911. It was obtained by NASA from Japan Airlines (JAL) in 1989. It was also modified by Boeing Corporation. It was delivered to NASA 20 November 1990.
Date	05.01.1999

Rans S-12 RPV Takes off with …

Title	Rans S-12 RPV Takes off with Spacewedge #2
Description	A Rans S-12 remotely piloted "mothership" takes off from a lakebed runway carrying a Spacewedge research model during 1992 flight tests. The Spacewedge was lauched in flight from the Rans S-12 aircraft and then glided back to a landing under a steerable parafoil. Technology tested in the Spacewedge program was used in developing the X-38 research vehicle. From October 1991 to December 1996, NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (after 1994, the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) conducted a research program know as the Spacecraft Autoland Project. This Project was designed to determine the feasibility of the autonomous recovery of a spacecraft using a ram-air parafoil system for the final stages of flight, including a precision landing. The Johnson Space Center and the U.S. Army participated in various phases of the program. The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory developed the software for Wedge 3 under contract to the Army. Four generic spacecraft (each called a Spacewedge or simply a Wedge) were built, the last one was built to test the feasibility of a parafoil for delivering Army cargoes. Technology developed during this program has applications for future spacecraft recovery systems, such as the X-38 Crew Return Vehicle demonstrator. The Spacewedge program demonstrated precision flare and landing into the wind at a predetermined location. The program showed that a flexible, deployable system using autonomous navigation and landing was a viable and practical way to recover spacecraft. NASA researchers conducted flight tests of the Spacewedge at three sites near Dryden, a hillside near Tehachapi, the Rogers Dry Lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base, and the California City Airport Drop Zone. During the first phase of testing 36 flights were made. Phase II consisted of 45 flights using a smaller parafoil. A third Phase of 34 flights was conducted primarily by the Army and resulted in the development of an Army guidance system for precision offset cargo delivery. The wedge used during the Army phase was not called a Spacewedge but simply a Wedge. The Spacewedge was a flattened biconical airframe joined to a ram-air parafoil with a custom harness. In the manual control mode, the vehicle was flown using a radio uplink. In its autonomous mode, it was controlled using a small computer that received input from onboard sensors. Selected sensor data was recorded onto several onboard data loggers. Two Spacewedge shapes were used for four airframes representing generic hypersonic vehicle configurations. Spacewedge vehicles were 48 inches long, 30 inches wide, and 21 inches high. Their basic weight was 120 pounds, although different configurations weighed from 127 to 184 pounds. Potential uses for Spacewedge-based technology include deployable, precision, autonomous landing systems, such as the one deployed by the X-38 crew return vehicle, planetary probes, booster recovery systems, autonomous gliding parachute systems on military aircraft, ejection seats, offset delivery of military cargoes, and delivery of humanitarian aid to hard-to-reach locations. Dryden employees involved with the Spacewedge program included R. Dale Reed, who originated the concept of conducting a subscale flight test at Dryden and participated in the actual testing. Alexander Sim managed the flight project and participated in its documentation. James Murray served as the principal Dryden investigator and as the lead for all systems integration for Phases I and II (the Spacewedge phases).
Date	08.14.1992

Shuttle Tile Flight Test Fix …

Title	Shuttle Tile Flight Test Fixture (FTF) on NOAA WP-3D Orion aircraft
Description	This photo shows the Shuttle tile flight test fixture under the wing of a National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration WP-3D aircraft. A National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Lockheed WP-3D made a series of flights off the eastern coast of Florida and from Edwards Air Force Base in a cooperative program with the Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (now the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) in 1987 to test in-flight rain damage to the Space Shuttle thermal protection system. Dryden performed its tests with an F-104 aircraft over the facilities at Edwards, California. Both sets of tests were done at the behest of NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas. These tests revealed that damage can occur to the Shuttle's thermal protection system during flight in rain. This is a concern, since such damage could compromise flight safety for the Space Shuttles and would certainly affect costs of operation and schedules. Sections of the Space Shuttle thermal protection system's 6- by 6-inch tiles were mounted on a pylon under the right wing of the WP-3D aircraft. The aircraft was equipped with raindropsize-measuring instruments and cloud radars. The WP-3D weather research aircraft obtained rain impact data for airspeeds between 180 and 260 knots indicated airspeed. Test samples were mounted on two movable doors contained within the left and right sides of the test fixture (for a total of four doors). The doors could be opened or closed to the free-stream airflow during flight at angles of 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 degrees. The WP-3D tile testing concentrated on observing the effects of larger drops of moisture at lower speeds. The principle investigator for the tile tests was Robert R. Meyer, Jr., NASA engineer, Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (now Director of Research Engineering, Dryen Flight Research Center.) The Department of Commerce WP-3D aircraft was based at the Miami International Airport. It served as an environmental research platform for oceanographic and atmospheric studies by various government agencies and universities. The WP-3D flown in the Shuttle tile tests was specially instrumented for scientific observation with three radars and an onboard data recording capability. The pylon used for the tile tests could be configured so that specialized equipment could be installed for different users in the scientific community.
Date	01.01.1987

Spacewedge #1 in Flight

Title	Spacewedge #1 in Flight
Description	A Spacewedge subscale model, built to help develop potential autonomous recovery systems for spacecraft as well as methods for delivering large Army cargo loads to precision landings, maneuvers through the air under its steerable parafoil during 1992 flight testing. From October 1991 to December 1996, NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (after 1994, the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) conducted a research program know as the Spacecraft Autoland Project. This Project was designed to determine the feasibility of the autonomous recovery of a spacecraft using a ram-air parafoil system for the final stages of flight, including a precision landing. The Johnson Space Center and the U.S. Army participated in various phases of the program. The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory developed the software for Wedge 3 under contract to the Army. Four generic spacecraft (each called a Spacewedge or simply a Wedge) were built, the last one was built to test the feasibility of a parafoil for delivering Army cargoes. Technology developed during this program has applications for future spacecraft recovery systems, such as the X-38 Crew Return Vehicle demonstrator. The Spacewedge program demonstrated precision flare and landing into the wind at a predetermined location. The program showed that a flexible, deployable system using autonomous navigation and landing was a viable and practical way to recover spacecraft. NASA researchers conducted flight tests of the Spacewedge at three sites near Dryden, a hillside near Tehachapi, the Rogers Dry Lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base, and the California City Airport Drop Zone. During the first phase of testing 36 flights were made. Phase II consisted of 45 flights using a smaller parafoil. A third Phase of 34 flights was conducted primarily by the Army and resulted in the development of an Army guidance system for precision offset cargo delivery. The wedge used during the Army phase was not called a Spacewedge but simply a Wedge. The Spacewedge was a flattened biconical airframe joined to a ram-air parafoil with a custom harness. In the manual control mode, the vehicle was flown using a radio uplink. In its autonomous mode, it was controlled using a small computer that received input from onboard sensors. Selected sensor data was recorded onto several onboard data loggers. Two Spacewedge shapes were used for four airframes representing generic hypersonic vehicle configurations. Spacewedge vehicles were 48 inches long, 30 inches wide, and 21 inches high. Their basic weight was 120 pounds, although different configurations weighed from 127 to 184 pounds. Potential uses for Spacewedge-based technology include deployable, precision, autonomous landing systems, such as the one deployed by the X-38 crew return vehicle, planetary probes, booster recovery systems, autonomous gliding parachute systems on military aircraft ejection seats, offset delivery of military cargoes, and delivery of humanitarian aid to, hard-to-reach locations. Dryden employees involved with the Spacewedge program included R. Dale Reed, who originated the concept of conducting a subscale flight test at Dryden and participated in the actual testing. Alexander Sim managed the flight project and participated in its documentation. James Murray served as the principal Dryden investigator and as the lead for all systems integration for Phases I and II (the Spacewedge phases).
Date	01.01.1992

Spacewedge #1 Landing at Cal …

Title	Spacewedge #1 Landing at California City Drop Zone
Description	The Spacewedge subscale research model glides in toward a touchdown at a California City landing zone during 1992 flight tests of the vehicle. From October 1991 to December 1996, NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (after 1994, the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) conducted a research program know as the Spacecraft Autoland Project. This Project was designed to determine the feasibility of the autonomous recovery of a spacecraft using a ram-air parafoil system for the final stages of flight, including a precision landing. The Johnson Space Center and the U.S. Army participated in various phases of the program. The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory developed the software for Wedge 3 under contract to the Army. Four generic spacecraft (each called a Spacewedge or simply a Wedge) were built, the last one was built to test the feasibility of a parafoil for delivering Army cargoes. Technology developed during this program has applications for future spacecraft recovery systems, such as the X-38 Crew Return Vehicle demonstrator. The Spacewedge program demonstrated precision flare and landing into the wind at a predetermined location. The program showed that a flexible, deployable system using autonomous navigation and landing was a viable and practical way to recover spacecraft. NASA researchers conducted flight tests of the Spacewedge at three sites near Dryden, a hillside near Tehachapi, the Rogers Dry Lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base, and the California City Airport Drop Zone. During the first phase of testing 36 flights were made. Phase II consisted of 45 flights using a smaller parafoil. A third Phase of 34 flights was conducted primarily by the Army and resulted in the development of an Army guidance system for precision offset cargo delivery. The wedge used during the Army phase was not called a Spacewedge but simply a Wedge. The Spacewedge was a flattened biconical airframe joined to a ram-air parafoil with a custom harness. In the manual control mode, the vehicle was flown using a radio uplink. In its autonomous mode, it was controlled using a small computer that received input from onboard sensors. Selected sensor data was recorded onto several onboard data loggers. Two Spacewedge shapes were used for four airframes representing generic hypersonic vehicle configurations. Spacewedge vehicles were 48 inches long, 30 inches wide, and 21 inches high. Their basic weight was 120 pounds, although different configurations weighed from 127 to 184 pounds. Potential uses for Spacewedge-based technology include deployable, precision, autonomous landing systems, such as the one deployed by the X-38 crew return vehicle, planetary probes, booster recovery systems, autonomous gliding parachute systems on military aircraft ejection seats, offset delivery of military cargoes, and delivery of humanitarian aid to hard-to-reach locations. Dryden employees involved with the Spacewedge program included R. Dale Reed, who originated the, concept of conducting a subscale flight test at Dryden and participated in the actual testing. Alexander Sim managed the flight project and participated in its documentation. James Murray served as the principal Dryden investigator and as the lead for all systems integration for Phases I and II (the Spacewedge phases).
Date	06.18.1992

Spacewedge #3 Being Loaded o …

Title	Spacewedge #3 Being Loaded onto Cessna for Drop Test
Description	Crew members load a Spacewedge subscale research model into a Cessna aircraft for flight testing in 1996. The Spacewedge was drop-launched from the Cessna and then glided back to a soft landing under a steerable parafoil. From October 1991 to December 1996, NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (after 1994, the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) conducted a research program know as the Spacecraft Autoland Project. This Project was designed to determine the feasibility of the autonomous recovery of a spacecraft using a ram-air parafoil system for the final stages of flight, including a precision landing. The Johnson Space Center and the U.S. Army participated in various phases of the program. The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory developed the software for Wedge 3 under contract to the Army. Four generic spacecraft (each called a Spacewedge or simply a Wedge) were built, the last one was built to test the feasibility of a parafoil for delivering Army cargoes. Technology developed during this program has applications for future spacecraft recovery systems, such as the X-38 Crew Return Vehicle demonstrator. The Spacewedge program demonstrated precision flare and landing into the wind at a predetermined location. The program showed that a flexible, deployable system using autonomous navigation and landing was a viable and practical way to recover spacecraft. NASA researchers conducted flight tests of the Spacewedge at three sites near Dryden, a hillside near Tehachapi, the Rogers Dry Lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base, and the California City Airport Drop Zone. During the first phase of testing 36 flights were made. Phase II consisted of 45 flights using a smaller parafoil. A third Phase of 34 flights was conducted primarily by the Army and resulted in the development of an Army guidance system for precision offset cargo delivery. The wedge used during the Army phase was not called a Spacewedge but simply a Wedge. The Spacewedge was a flattened biconical airframe joined to a ram-air parafoil with a custom harness. In the manual control mode, the vehicle was flown using a radio uplink. In its autonomous mode, it was controlled using a small computer that received input from onboard sensors. Selected sensor data was recorded onto several onboard data loggers. Two Spacewedge shapes were used for four airframes representing generic hypersonic vehicle configurations. Spacewedge vehicles were 48 inches long, 30 inches wide, and 21 inches high. Their basic weight was 120 pounds, although different configurations weighed from 127 to 184 pounds. Potential uses for Spacewedge-based technology include deployable, precision, autonomous landing systems, such as the one deployed by the X-38 crew return vehicle, planetary probes, booster recovery systems, autonomous gliding parachute systems on military aircraft ejection seats, offset delivery of military cargoes, and delivery of humanitarian aid to hard-to-reach locations. Dryden employees, involved with the Spacewedge program included R. Dale Reed, who originated the concept of conducting a subscale flight test at Dryden and participated in the actual testing. Alexander Sim managed the flight project and participated in its documentation. James Murray served as the principal Dryden investigator and as the lead for all systems integration for Phases I and II (the Spacewedge phases).
Date	07.18.1996

Spacewedge #3 in Flight over …

Title	Spacewedge #3 in Flight over California City Drop Zone
Description	One of the Spacewedge remotely-piloted research vehicles in flight under a steerable parafoil during 1995 research flights conducted by NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. From October 1991 to December 1996, NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (after 1994, the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) conducted a research program know as the Spacecraft Autoland Project. This Project was designed to determine the feasibility of the autonomous recovery of a spacecraft using a ram-air parafoil system for the final stages of flight, including a precision landing. The Johnson Space Center and the U.S. Army participated in various phases of the program. The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory developed the software for Wedge 3 under contract to the Army. Four generic spacecraft (each called a Spacewedge or simply a Wedge) were built, the last one was built to test the feasibility of a parafoil for delivering Army cargoes. Technology developed during this program has applications for future spacecraft recovery systems, such as the X-38 Crew Return Vehicle demonstrator. The Spacewedge program demonstrated precision flare and landing into the wind at a predetermined location. The program showed that a flexible, deployable system using autonomous navigation and landing was a viable and practical way to recover spacecraft. NASA researchers conducted flight tests of the Spacewedge at three sites near Dryden, a hillside near Tehachapi, the Rogers Dry Lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base, and the California City Airport Drop Zone. During the first phase of testing 36 flights were made. Phase II consisted of 45 flights using a smaller parafoil. A third Phase of 34 flights was conducted primarily by the Army and resulted in the development of an Army guidance system for precision offset cargo delivery. The wedge used during the Army phase was not called a Spacewedge but simply a Wedge. The Spacewedge was a flattened biconical airframe joined to a ram-air parafoil with a custom harness. In the manual control mode, the vehicle was flown using a radio uplink. In its autonomous mode, it was controlled using a small computer that received input from onboard sensors. Selected sensor data was recorded onto several onboard data loggers. Two Spacewedge shapes were used for four airframes representing generic hypersonic vehicle configurations. Spacewedge vehicles were 48 inches long, 30 inches wide, and 21 inches high. Their basic weight was 120 pounds, although different configurations weighed from 127 to 184 pounds. Potential uses for Spacewedge-based technology include deployable, precision, autonomous landing systems, such as the one deployed by the X-38 crew return vehicle, planetary probes, booster recovery systems, autonomous gliding parachute systems on military aircraft ejection seats, offset delivery of military cargoes, and delivery of humanitarian aid to hard-to-reach locations. Dryden employees involved with the Spacewedge program included R. Dale, Reed, who originated the concept of conducting a subscale flight test at Dryden and participated in the actual testing. Alexander Sim managed the flight project and participated in its documentation. James Murray served as the principal Dryden investigator and as the lead for all systems integration for Phases I and II (the Spacewedge phases).
Date	06.14.1995

STS 51-G Discovery lands at …

Title	STS 51-G Discovery lands at Edwards Air Force Base, California
Description	STS 51-G Discovery lands at Edwards Air Force Base, California. In these side views its main landing gear has touched down, kicking up a cloud of dirt. Its nose gear is still in the air (224), Closer view of the Discovery with its main landing gear down and its nose wheels in the air (225).
Date	06.24.1985

STS-27 Atlantis, OV-104, lan …

Title	STS-27 Atlantis, OV-104, lands at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), California
Description	A cloud of dust, formed by the touchdown of the main landing gear (MLG) and nose landing gear (NLG) on the Mojave Desert sands, trails behind Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, as it slows to a stop on Runway 17 dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), California. This aft view of OV-104's landing shows the space shuttle main engines, wings, and tail section with vertical tail rudder / speed brake engaged. Mountains appear in the distance.
Date	12.06.1988

STS-30 crew poses with NASA …

Title	STS-30 crew poses with NASA administrators in front of OV-104 on EAFB runway
Description	STS-30 crewmembers pose with NASA administrators in front of Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, on concrete runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), California. From left to right are Acting NASA Administrator Richard H. Truly, Commander David M. Walker, Mission Specialist (MS) Mark C. Lee, MS Mary L. Cleave, Pilot Ronald J. Grabe, MS Norman E. Thagard, and NASA Deputy Administrator Dale D. Myers. Crewmembers have just egressed OV-104 via a mobile stairway after the successful landing at 12:44:33 pm (Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)).
Date	05.08.1989

STS-30 JSC Mission Control C …

Title	STS-30 JSC Mission Control Center (MCC) activity during OV-104 landing
Description	As STS-30 ends its mission with the landing of Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), California, flight controllers monitor screens at their consoles in JSC Mission Control Center (MCC) Bldg 30. In the foreground is the Maintenance, Mechanical Arm, and Crew Systems Engineer (MMACS) console with R. Kevin McCluney studying data readouts. On the front visual displays are the tracking map and a tail view of OV-104 as it comes to a stop on EAFB concrete runway 22.
Date	05.08.1989

STS-36 Atlantis, OV-104, lan …

Title	STS-36 Atlantis, OV-104, lands on Runway 23 dry lake bed at EAFB, California
Description	STS-36 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, main landing gear (MLG) touches down on Runway 23 dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), California. At a landing speed of approximately 199 knots (229 miles per hour), OV-104 MLG touches down approximately 1,622 feet beyond threshold and produces a cloud of dust. These views of OV-104's port side show nose landing gear (NLG) gliding above the runway before touchdown.
Date	03.03.1990

The five crew members of the …

Title	The five crew members of the Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-98 mission depart NASA Dryden to retu
Description	The five crew members of the Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-98 mission depart NASA Dryden to return to the Johnson Space Center at Houston. They briefly extended greetings to Dryden staff members on the ramp area behind Dryden's Main Building at a crew ceremony on February 21, 2001. Space Shuttle Atlantis landed at 12:33 p.m. February 20, 2001, on the runway at Edwards Air Force Base, California, where NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center is located. The mission, which began February 7, logged 5.3 million miles as the shuttle orbited earth while delivering the Destiny science laboratory to the International Space Station. Inclement weather conditions in Florida prompted the decision to land Atlantis at Edwards. The last time a space shuttle landed at Edwards was Oct. 24, 2000.
Date	02.21.2001

Interior of Spacewedge #3

Title	Interior of Spacewedge #3
Description	This photo shows the instrumentation and equipment inside the Spacewedge #3, a remotely-piloted research vehicle flown at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, to help develop technology for autonomous return systems for spacecraft as well as methods to deliver large Army cargo payloads to precise landings. From October 1991 to December 1996, NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (after 1994, the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) conducted a research program know as the Spacecraft Autoland Project. This Project was designed to determine the feasibility of the autonomous recovery of a spacecraft using a ram-air parafoil system for the final stages of flight, including a precision landing. The Johnson Space Center and the U.S. Army participated in various phases of the program. The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory developed the software for Wedge 3 under contract to the Army. Four generic spacecraft (each called a Spacewedge or simply a Wedge) were built, the last one was built to test the feasibility of a parafoil for delivering Army cargoes. Technology developed during this program has applications for future spacecraft recovery systems, such as the X-38 Crew Return Vehicle demonstrator. The Spacewedge program demonstrated precision flare and landing into the wind at a predetermined location. The program showed that a flexible, deployable system using autonomous navigation and landing was a viable and practical way to recover spacecraft NASA researchers conducted flight tests of the Spacewedge at three sites near Dryden, a hillside near Tehachapi, the Rogers Dry Lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base, and the California City Airport Drop Zone. During the first phase of testing 36 flights were made. Phase II consisted of 45 flights using a smaller parafoil. A third Phase of 34 flights was conducted primarily by the Army and resulted in the development of an Army guidance system for precision offset cargo delivery. The wedge used during the Army phase was not called a Spacewedge but simply a Wedge. The Spacewedge was a flattened biconical airframe joined to a ram-air parafoil with a custom harness. In the manual control mode, the vehicle was flown using a radio uplink. In its autonomous mode, it was controlled using a small computer that received input from onboard sensors. Selected sensor data was recorded onto several onboard data loggers. Two Spacewedge shapes were used for four airframes representing generic hypersonic vehicle configurations. Spacewedge vehicles were 48 inches long, 30 inches wide, and 21 inches high. Their basic weight was 120 pounds, although different configurations weighed from 127 to 184 pounds. Potential uses for Spacewedge-based technology include deployable, precision, autonomous landing systems, such as the one deployed by the X-38 crew return vehicle, planetary probes, booster recovery systems, autonomous gliding parachute systems on military aircraft ejection seats, offset delivery, of military cargoes, and delivery of humanitarian aid to hard-to-reach locations. Dryden employees involved with the Spacewedge program included R. Dale Reed, who originated the concept of conducting a subscale flight test at Dryden and participated in the actual testing. Alexander Sim managed the flight project and participated in its documentation. James Murray served as the principal Dryden investigator and as the lead for all systems integration for Phases I and II (the Spacewedge phases).
Date	01.22.1996

Landing of the Shuttle Atlan …

Title	Landing of the Shuttle Atlantis and the end of the STS 51-J mission
Description	Front view of the landing of the Shuttle Atlantis on the dry desert lakebed of Edwards Air Force Base, California. The wheels are just about to tounch the ground at the end of the STS 51-J mission (41800), Side view of the landing gear touching down at Edwards AFB at end of STS 51-J mission (41801), Angle view of the landing gear touching down at Edwards AFB at end of STS 51-J mission (41802).
Date	10.08.1985

Landing of the Shuttle Atlan …

Title	Landing of the Shuttle Atlantis and the end of the STS 51-J mission
Description	Front view of the landing of the Shuttle Atlantis on the dry desert lakebed of Edwards Air Force Base, California. The wheels are just about to tounch the ground at the end of the STS 51-J mission (41800), Side view of the landing gear touching down at Edwards AFB at end of STS 51-J mission (41801), Angle view of the landing gear touching down at Edwards AFB at end of STS 51-J mission (41802).
Date	10.08.1985

WP-3D aircraft parked on ram …

Title	WP-3D aircraft parked on ramp
Description	Space Shuttle tiles were mounted on a pylon on the right wing (not shown) of this National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) WP-3D for tests conducted off the eastern coast of Southern Florida and at the Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility NASA conducted extensive in-flight rain damage tests of the Shuttle Thermal Protection System (TPS) tiles on an F-104 at Dryden, while the NOAA conducted the tests on the WP-3D. P-3 testing concentrated on observing the effects of larger drops of moisture at lower speeds on the tiles. Shuttle Thermal Protection tiles were mounted on a pylon underneath the right wing of the aircraft. Tiles were mounted on two movable doors contained within both the left and right sides of the test fixture, for a total of four doors. The WP-3D flew three research flights while at Dryden--on Jan. 30, Feb. 2, and Feb. 5, 1987. The pylon test fixture is mounted on the right wing and thus does not appear in the photograph. Three particle measurement probes mounted on the left wing tip pylon and the pod under the forward fuselage are to measure atmospheric conditions. A National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Lockheed WP-3D made a series of flights off the eastern coast of Florida and from Edwards Air Force Base in a cooperative program with the Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (now the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California) in 1987 to test in-flight rain damage to the Space Shuttle thermal protection system. Dryden performed its tests with an F-104 aircraft over the facilities at Edwards, California. Both sets of tests were done at the behest of NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas. These tests revealed that damage can occur to the Shuttle's thermal protection system during flight in rain. This is a concern, since such damage could compromise flight safety for the Space Shuttles and would certainly affect costs of operation and schedules. Sections of the Space Shuttle thermal protection system's 6- by 6-inch tiles were mounted on a pylon under the right wing of the WP-3D aircraft. The aircraft was equipped with raindropsize-measuring instruments and cloud radars. The WP-3D weather research aircraft obtained rain impact data for airspeeds between 180 and 260 knots indicated airspeed. Test samples were mounted on two movable doors contained within the left and right sides of the test fixture (for a total of four doors). The doors could be opened or closed to the free-stream airflow during flight at angles of 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 degrees. The WP-3D tile testing concentrated on observing the effects of larger drops of moisture at lower speeds. The principle investigator for the tile tests was Robert R. Meyer, Jr., NASA engineer, Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (now Director of Research Engineering, Dryen Flight Research Center.) The Department of Commerce WP-3D aircraft was based at the Miami International Airport. It served as an environmental research platform for oceanographic, and atmospheric studies by various government agencies and universities. The WP-3D flown in the Shuttle tile tests was specially instrumented for scientific observation with three radars and an onboard data recording capability. The pylon used for the tile tests could be configured so that specialized equipment could be installed for different users in the scientific community.
Date	01.01.1987

X-38 flies free from NASA's …

Title	X-38 flies free from NASA's B-52 mothership, July 10, 2001
Description	The second free-flight test of an evolving series of X-38 prototypes took place July 10, 2001 when the X-38 was released from NASA's B-52 mothership over the Edwards Air Force Base range in California's Mojave Desert. Shortly after the photo was taken, a sequenced deployment of a drogue parachute followed by a large parafoil fabric wing slowed the X-38 to enable it to land safely on Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards. NASA engineers from the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, and the Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, are developing a "lifeboat" for the International Space Station based on X-38 research.
Date	07.10.2001

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The shuttle carrier aircraft, or SCA, sits on the tarmac at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility after demate from Atlantis. Several service vehicles have arrived to prepare the aircraft for its flight back to Johnson Space Center in Texas. Atlantis arrived at Kennedy Space Center atop the SCA on July 3 after a three-day, cross-country flight due to fuel stops and weather delays. Touchdown was at 8:27 a.m. EDT. Atlantis landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California on June 22 to end mission STS-117. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The shuttle carrier aircraft, or SCA, sits on the tarmac at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility after demate from Atlantis. Several service vehicles have arrived to prepare the aircraft for its flight back to Johnson Space Center in Texas. Atlantis arrived at Kennedy Space Center atop the SCA on July 3 after a three-day, cross-country flight due to fuel stops and weather delays. Touchdown was at 8:27 a.m. EDT. Atlantis landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California on June 22 to end mission STS-117. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton.
Release Date	07/04/2007

Artist concept titled "STS-30 Descent over California" produced by Rockwell

Artist concept titled "STS-3 …

Title	Artist concept titled "STS-30 Descent over California" produced by Rockwell
Description	Rockwell International (RI) supplied artist concept titled "STS-30 Descent over California" shows Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, approach to Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), California. Annotated ground track map identifies major events in landing sequence starting at the initiation of tactical air navigation (TACAN) updating and touch down minus (-) 10 minutes.
Date Taken	1989-04-28

STS-30 deorbit and reentry g …

Title	STS-30 deorbit and reentry ground track
Description	Rockwell International (RI) supplied artist concept titled "STS-30 Deorbit and Reentry Track" shows Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, deorbit and reentry ground track. Ground track and map portray OV-104's deorbit over Madagascar, atmospheric reentry maneuvers, approach to the California coast, and landing at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), California. the transport trailer of the Payload Environmental Transportation System (PETS). Magellan, destined for unprecedented studies of Venusian topographic features, will be deployed by the crew of NASA's STS-30 mission in April 1989. View provided by KSC with alternate number KSC-88PC-1086.
Date Taken	1989-04-27

Artist concept titled "STS-34 Deorbit and Reentry Track" produced by Rockwell

Artist concept titled "STS-3 …

Title	Artist concept titled "STS-34 Deorbit and Reentry Track" produced by Rockwell
Description	Rockwell International (RI) supplied artist concept titled "STS-34 Deorbit and Reentry Track" shows Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, deorbit and reentry ground track. Ground track and map portray OV-104's deorbit over Madagascar, atmospheric reentry maneuvers, approach to the California coast, and landing at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), California.
Date Taken	1989-10-16

Artist concept titled "STS-34 Descent over California" produced by Rockwell

Artist concept titled "STS-3 …

Title	Artist concept titled "STS-34 Descent over California" produced by Rockwell
Description	Rockwell International (RI) supplied artist concept titled "STS-34 Descent over California" shows Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, approach to Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), California. Annotated ground track map identifies major events in landing sequence starting at touch down minus (-) 10 minutes through weight on main landing gear runway 17.
Date Taken	1989-10-16

Artist concept titled "STS-32 Descent over California" produced by Rockwell

Artist concept titled "STS-3 …

Title	Artist concept titled "STS-32 Descent over California" produced by Rockwell
Description	Rockwell International (RI) supplied artist concept titled "STS-32 Descent over California" shows Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, approach to Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), California. Annotated ground track map identifies major events in landing sequence starting at touch down minus (-) 10 minutes through weight on main landing gear runway 17.
Date Taken	1990-01-11

Artist concept titled "STS-32 Deorbit and Reentry Track" produced by Rockwell

Artist concept titled "STS-3 …

Title	Artist concept titled "STS-32 Deorbit and Reentry Track" produced by Rockwell
Description	Rockwell International (RI) supplied artist concept titled "STS-32 Deorbit and Reentry Track" shows Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, deorbit and reentry ground track. Ground track and map portray OV-102's deorbit over Madagascar, atmospheric reentry maneuvers, approach to the California coast, and landing at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), California.
Date Taken	1990-01-11

Airborne view of T-38 taken from Atlantis (STS-36) while landing

Airborne view of T-38 taken …

Title	Airborne view of T-38 taken from Atlantis (STS-36) while landing
Description	An airborne view of a T-38 taken from the Atlantis (STS-36) while landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California 03/04/90 by Mission Specialist Richard M. "Mike" Mullane.
Date Taken	1990-03-15

Artist concept titled "STS-31 Descent Over California" produced by Rockwell

Artist concept titled "STS-3 …

Title	Artist concept titled "STS-31 Descent Over California" produced by Rockwell
Description	Rockwell International (RI) supplied artist concept titled "STS-31 Descent over California" shows Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, approach to Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), California. Annotated ground track map identifies major events in landing sequence starting at touch down minus (-) 10 minutes to weight on main landing gear (MLG) runway 17.
Date Taken	1990-04-18

Artist concept titled "STS-31 Deorbit and Reentry Track" produced by Rockwell

Artist concept titled "STS-3 …

Title	Artist concept titled "STS-31 Deorbit and Reentry Track" produced by Rockwell
Description	Rockwell International (RI) supplied artist concept titled "STS-31 Deorbit and Reentry Track". Map tracks Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, from deorbit over Madagasgar through atmospheric reentry maneuvers to touchdown minus (-) 20 minutes at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), California.
Date Taken	1990-04-18

Artist concept titled "STS-41 Descent Over California" produced by Rockwell

Artist concept titled "STS-4 …

Title	Artist concept titled "STS-41 Descent Over California" produced by Rockwell
Description	Rockwell International (RI) supplied artist concept titled "STS-41 Descent over California" shows Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, approach to Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), California. Annotated ground track map identifies major events in landing sequence starting at initiate tactical air navigation (TACAN) updating to weight on main landing gear (MLG) runway 17.
Date Taken	1990-10-23

Artist concept titled "STS-41 Deorbit and Reentry Track" produced by Rockwell

Artist concept titled "STS-4 …

Title	Artist concept titled "STS-41 Deorbit and Reentry Track" produced by Rockwell
Description	Rockwell International (RI) supplied artist concept titled "STS-41 Deorbit and Reentry Track". Map tracks Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, from deorbit over Madagasgar through atmospheric reentry maneuvers to touchdown minus (-) 20 minutes at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), California.
Date Taken	1990-10-23

Artist concept titled "STS-35 Descent Over California" produced by Rockwell

Artist concept titled "STS-3 …

Title	Artist concept titled "STS-35 Descent Over California" produced by Rockwell
Description	Rockwell International (RI) supplied artist concept titled "STS-35 Descent over California" shows Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, approach to Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), California. Annotated ground track map identifies major events in landing sequence starting at touchdown minus (-) 10 minutes to weight on main landing gear (MLG) runway 17.
Date Taken	1990-10-23

Artist concept titled "STS-35 Deorbit and Reentry Track" produced by Rockwell

Artist concept titled "STS-3 …

Title	Artist concept titled "STS-35 Deorbit and Reentry Track" produced by Rockwell
Description	Rockwell International (RI) supplied artist concept titled "STS-35 Deorbit and Reentry Track". Map tracks Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, from deorbit over Madagasgar through atmospheric reentry maneuvers to touchdown at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), California.
Date Taken	1990-10-23

Mojave Desert, California

Title	Mojave Desert, California
Description	An orbital view of the space shuttle landing strip at the Mojave Desert dry lakebeds (35.0N, 118.0W) of Edwards Air Force Base, California. Just beneath the clouds on the coast at the top of the picture is the San Bernardino Valley and the city of Los Angeles.
Date Taken	1981-04-14

STS-26 Discovery, OV-103, with landing gear deployed glides above EAFB runway

STS-26 Discovery, OV-103, wi …

Title	STS-26 Discovery, OV-103, with landing gear deployed glides above EAFB runway
Description	STS-26 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, with nose landing gear (NLG) and main landing gear (MLG) deployed glides above dry lakebed runway 17 at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), California. This profile view shows the OV-103's starboard side just before MLG touchdown.
Date Taken	1988-10-03

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