Dryden Flight Research Center's fleet of aircraft in 1993.

NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, located inside Edwards Air Force Base, was named in honor of the late Hugh L. Dryden, one of America's most prominent aeronautical engineers, on Mar. 26, 1976. At the time of his death in 1965, he was NASA's deputy administrator. First known as the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics Muroc Flight Test Unit, the DFRC has also been known as the High-Speed Flight Research Station (1949) and the High-Speed Flight Station (1954). Download high resolution version (1800x915, 534 KB) From http://www1. ... Download high resolution version (1800x915, 534 KB) From http://www1. ... NASA Logo Listen to this article · (info) This audio file was created from the revision dated 2005-09-01, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... Edwards Air Force Base is a USAF airbase located on the border of Kern County and Los Angeles County, California in the Antelope Valley, 7 miles (11 km) due East of Rosamond, USA at 34°57′ N 117°52′ W. An airbase since 1933, Edwards has long been a home... Dr. Hugh L. Dryden served as NASA Deputy Administrator from August 19, 1958 until his death on December 2, 1965. ... Motto: E pluribus unum (1789 to 1956) (Latin: Out of Many, One) In God We Trust (1956 to present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at federal level; English de facto Government  â€¢ President  â€¢ Vice President Federal republic George... Look up engineer in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link goes to calendar). ... NACA official seal The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was a U.S. federal agency founded on March 3, 1915 to undertake, promote, and institutionalize aeronautical research. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Center is NASA's premier site for aeronautical research and operates some of the most advanced aircraft in the world. A Japan Airlines Boeing 747-400. ... The World in plate carrée projection The World In English, world is rooted in a compound of the obsolete words were, man, and eld, age; thus, its oldest meaning is age or life of man. Its primary modern meaning is the planet Earth, especially when capitalized: the World. ...

Until 2004, Dryden operated the oldest B-52 Stratofortress bomber, a B-52B model which had been converted to drop test aircraft, dubbed 'The High and Mighty One.' It dropped a large number of supersonic test vehicles, ranging from the X-15 to Pegasus rocket boosters. It was also the last B-52B still flying, but had the fewest flight hours of any existing B-52 bomber. The aircraft was retired to the Pima airspace museum in Tuscon Arisona, where it is currently on display. When the last X-43A test flight occurred, and was replaced by a newer B-52H model. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A B-52 in flight The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range strategic bomber flown by the United States Air Force since 1954, replacing the Convair B-36 and the Boeing B-47. ... This page is about high speed motion of bodies such as airplanes through air or other fluids. ... Description Role: Research Aircraft Crew: one, pilot Dimensions Length: 50. ... Pegasus rocket on the ground Pegasus rocket attached to bottom of carrier aircraft The Pegasus rocket is a winged space booster developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation (Orbital). ... NASA technicians working on the X-43A at the tip of a Pegasus rocket attached to a Boeing B-52B prior to launch (March 27, 2004) The X-43 is an unmanned experimental hypersonic aircraft design with multiple planned scale variations meant to test different aspects of highly supersonic flight. ...

Douglas Skyrocket

NACA's Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket was the first aircraft to exceed Mach 2.0

Main articles: Douglas Skyrocket, and [[{{{2}}}]], and [[{{{3}}}]], and [[{{{4}}}]], and [[{{{5}}}]]

NASA's predecessor, NACA, operated the Douglas Skyrocket. A successor to the Air Force's Bell X-1, the D-558-II could operate under rocket or jet power. It conducted extensive tests into aircraft stability in the transsonic range, optimal supersonic wing configurations, rocket plume effects, and high-speed flight dynamics. On November 20, 1953, the Douglas Skyrocket became the first aircraft to fly at over twice the speed of sound when it attained a speed of Mach 2.005. Like the X-1, the D-558-II could be air launched, but it used a Navy B-29 instead of a B-52. Unlike the X-1, the Skyrocket could also takeoff from a runway with the help of JATO units. The Douglas Skyrocket being dropped from a dropped from a US Navy Boeing B-29 (Navy P2B-1 variant). ... The Douglas Skyrocket being dropped from a dropped from a US Navy Boeing B-29 (Navy P2B-1 variant). ... Douglas Skyrocket D-558-II The Douglas Skyrocket (the D-558-2) was a rocket-powered research aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the U.S. Navy. ... The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aviation branch of the United States armed forces. ... The Bell X-1 was the first aircraft to exceed the speed of sound in controlled, level flight. ... A Redstone rocket, part of the Mercury program A rocket is a vehicle, missile or aircraft which obtains thrust by the reaction to the ejection of fast moving exhaust gas from within a rocket engine. ... A Pratt and Whitney turbofan engine for the F-15 Eagle is tested at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, USA. The tunnel behind the engine muffles noise and allows exhaust to escape. ... Transonic is an aeronautics term referring to a range of velocities just below and above the speed of sound. ... November 20 is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) is a common year starting on Thursday. ... The Boeing B-29 Superfortress (Boeing Model 341/345) was a four-engine heavy bomber flown by the United States Army Air Force. ... A B-52 in flight The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range strategic bomber flown by the United States Air Force since 1954, replacing the Convair B-36 and the Boeing B-47. ... Ryanair Boeing 737 taking off Take off is the phase of flight where an aircraft transitions from moving along the ground (taxiing) into the air (see flight), usually from a runway. ... Aerial picture of a runway of Chennai International Airport, Tamil Nadu A runway is a strip of land on an airport, on which aircraft can take off and land. ... JATO is an acronym for Jet Assisted Take Off. ...

Controlled Impact Demonstration

A remotely piloted Boeing 720 is destroyed in the Controlled Impact Demonstration.

Main articles: Controlled Impact Demonstration, and [[{{{2}}}]], and [[{{{3}}}]], and [[{{{4}}}]], and [[{{{5}}}]]

The Controlled Impact Demonstration was a joint project with the Federal Aviation Administration to research a new jet fuel that would decrease the damage due to fire in the crash of a large airliner. A remotely piloted Boeing 720 aircraft was flown into specially built wing openers which tore the wings open and fuel sprayed everywhere. Despite the new fuel additive the resulting fire ball was huge and the fire still took an hour to fully extinguish. Download high resolution version (1200x540, 871 KB)From http://www. ... Download high resolution version (1200x540, 871 KB)From http://www. ... Pan Am 707 The Boeing 707 is a four engined commercial passenger jet aircraft developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. ... Practice approach Pre-impact Post-impact 1 Post-impact 2 The Controlled Impact Demonstration (or jokingly Crash In the Desert) was a joint project between NASAs Dryden Flight Research Center and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to test the impact of a Boeing 720 aircraft using standard fuel with... Practice approach Pre-impact Post-impact 1 Post-impact 2 The Controlled Impact Demonstration (or jokingly Crash In the Desert) was a joint project between NASAs Dryden Flight Research Center and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to test the impact of a Boeing 720 aircraft using standard fuel with... The Federal Aviation Administration is the entity of the United States government which regulates and oversees all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S. // Activities Along with the European Joint Aviation Authorities, the FAA is one of the two main agencies worldwide responsible for the certification of new aircraft. ... Pan Am 707 The Boeing 707 is a four engined commercial passenger jet aircraft developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. ...

Even though the fuel additive did not prevent a fire the research was not a complete failure. The additive still prevented the combustion of some fuel which flowed over the fuselage of the air craft and served to cool it similar to how a conventional rocket engine cools its nozzle. Also instrumented crash test dummys were in the airplane for the impact and provided valuable research into other aspects of crash survivability for the occupants. A remote camera captures a close-up view of a Space Shuttle Main Engine during a test firing at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Mississippi Spacecraft propulsion is used to change the velocity of spacecraft and artificial satellites, or in short, to provide delta-v. ... Hybrid III is the de facto standard crash test dummy. ...

Linear Aerospike SR-71 Experiment

A modern Skunk Works project leverages an older: LASRE atop an SR-71 Blackbird.

Main articles: LASRE, and [[{{{2}}}]], and [[{{{3}}}]], and [[{{{4}}}]], and [[{{{5}}}]]

LASRE was a NASA experiment in cooperation with Lockheed Martin to study a reusable launch vehicle design based on a linear aerospike rocket engine. The experiment's goal was to provide in-flight data to help Lockheed Martin validate the computational predictive tools they developed to design the craft. LASRE was a small, half-span model of a lifting body with eight thrust cells of an aerospike engine. The experiment, mounted on the back of an SR-71 Blackbird aircraft, operated like a kind of "flying wind tunnel." Download high resolution version (1650x1299, 1693 KB) NASA photo ID: EC98-44440-4 The NASA SR-71 Blackbird successfully completed its first cold flow flight as part of the NASA/Rocketdyne/Lockheed Martin Linear Aerospike SR-71 Experiment (LASRE) at NASAs Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base... Download high resolution version (1650x1299, 1693 KB) NASA photo ID: EC98-44440-4 The NASA SR-71 Blackbird successfully completed its first cold flow flight as part of the NASA/Rocketdyne/Lockheed Martin Linear Aerospike SR-71 Experiment (LASRE) at NASAs Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base... A modern Skunk works project leverages an older: LASRE and SR-71 Blackbird. ... LASRE is NASAs Linear Aerospike SR-71 Experiment which took place at the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California and concluded November 1998. ... An SR-71 in flight The Lockheed SR-71 Type A, unofficially known as the Blackbird, is a long-range, advanced, strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Lockheed YF-12A and A-12 aircraft by Lockheeds Skunk Works (also responsible for the U-2 and many other advanced aircraft). ... LASRE is NASAs Linear Aerospike SR-71 Experiment which took place at the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California and concluded November 1998. ... NASA Logo Listen to this article · (info) This audio file was created from the revision dated 2005-09-01, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... Lockheed/BAE/Northrop F-35 Lockheed Trident missile C-130 Hercules; in production since the 1950s, now as the C-130J Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is an aerospace manufacturer formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. ... A reusable launch system (or RLV: reusable launch vehicle) is a launch vehicle which is capable of launching into space more than once. ... RS-2200 linear aerospike engine for the X-33 program being tested. ... A remote camera captures a close-up view of a Space Shuttle Main Engine during a test firing at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Mississippi Spacecraft propulsion is used to change the velocity of spacecraft and artificial satellites, or in short, to provide delta-v. ... Lockheed/BAE/Northrop F-35 Lockheed Trident missile C-130 Hercules; in production since the 1950s, now as the C-130J Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is an aerospace manufacturer formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. ... RS-2200 linear aerospike engine for the X-33 program being tested. ... An SR-71 in flight The Lockheed SR-71 Type A, unofficially known as the Blackbird, is a long-range, advanced, strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Lockheed YF-12A and A-12 aircraft by Lockheeds Skunk Works (also responsible for the U-2 and many other advanced aircraft). ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

The experiment focused on determining how a reusable launch vehicle's engine plume would affect the aerodynamics of its lifting body shape at specific altitudes and speeds reaching approximately 750 miles per hour (335 meters per second). The interaction of the aerodynamic flow with the engine plume could create drag; design refinements look to minimize that interaction.

Lunar Landing Research Vehicle

Lunar Landing Research Vehicle

Main articles: Lunar Landing Research Vehicle, and [[{{{2}}}]], and [[{{{3}}}]], and [[{{{4}}}]], and [[{{{5}}}]]

The Lunar Landing Research Vehicle or LLRV was an Apollo Project era program to build a simulator for the Moon landing. The LLRVs, humorously referred to as flying bedsteads (see also Flying bedstead), were used by the FRC, now known as the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to study and analyze piloting techniques needed to fly and land the Apollo Lunar Module in the moon's airless environment.
Lunar Landing Research Vehicle on ground. ... Lunar Landing Research Vehicle on ground. ... Description Role: Research Aircraft Crew: one, pilot Dimensions Length: 22. ... Description Role: Research Aircraft Crew: one, pilot Dimensions Length: 22. ... Description Role: Earth and Lunar Orbit Crew: 3; CDR, CM pilot, LM pilot Dimensions Height: 36. ... The first moon landing by a human was that of American Neil Armstrong, Commander of the Apollo 11 mission. ... The Flying Bedstead was a nickname given to two experimental vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. ... Edwards Air Force Base is a USAF airbase located on the border of Kern County and Los Angeles County, California in the Antelope Valley, 7 miles (11 km) due East of Rosamond, USA at 34°57′ N 117°52′ W. An airbase since 1933, Edwards has long been a home... The Apollo Lunar Module was the lander portion of the Apollo spacecraft built for the US Apollo program to achieve the transit from Moon orbit to the surface and back. ...

Satellite image of Dryden and the Edwards compass rose.

Download high resolution version (1280x948, 1068 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1280x948, 1068 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... A compass rose is a figure displaying the orientation of the cardinal directions, north, south, east and west on a map. ...

External links

• NASA Dryden Flight Research Center web site
• Maps and aerial photos
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  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
  • Satellite image from Google Local or Microsoft Virtual Earth