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Tag Archives: NACA
The U-2 With Fictitious NASA Markings
Researching the U-2 spy plane the other day, I came across this stunning picture of the aircraft in silhouette. For the first time I noticed a yellow NASA stripe and an ID number – 55741 – on the tail, the same … Continue reading
Posted in Aircraft, Aviation, History of Space Science
Tagged Cold War, Dryden, Edwards Air Force Base, Eisenhower, Khrushchev, NACA, NASA, Powers, Soviet Union, U-2, USAF
4 Comments
Scott Crossfield’s Supersonic Bellyache
Friendly interservice rivalries in the United States aren’t uncommon, and they were just as standard in the 1950s. Particularly among pilots who were always trying to one-up each other as it was. At Edwards Air Force Base, where the hottest … Continue reading
Posted in Aircraft, Aviation, History of Space Science
Tagged Air Force, Aircraft, Crossfield, Douglas, Dryden, Edwards, Edwards Air Force Base, NACA, NASA, Navy, Rocket Aircraft, Skyrocket, Williams, Yeager
1 Comment
Vintage Space Fun Fact: Crossfield’s Worst Landing
Scott Crossfield held that every pilot had a specialty. In his case it was landings, specifically landings without power often called dead stick landing. So how did Crossfield, a former flight instructor and by all accounts an ace pilot, manage … Continue reading
Posted in Aircraft, History of Space Science
Tagged Aircraft, Crossfield, Edwards, F-100, NACA, Rogers Dry Lakebed, USAF, Yeager
2 Comments
Neil Armstrong OpEd in the Guardian
I was asked to write an opinion piece on Neil Armstrong’s passing for the Guardian. I thought a lot about the role he’s played in spaceflight history, not just because of the missions he flew but because of what he … Continue reading
Posted in Apollo, Gemini, History of Space Science, Mercury, Moon
Tagged American, Apollo, Armstrong, Gemini, Manned Spaceflight, Moon, NACA, NASA, Space Planes, Spaceflight, USAF, X-15
2 Comments
Apollo’s Youthful Glow
Since Curiosity landed on Mars last Sunday night, the internet has been buzzing not about the Sky Crane that delivered the rover to the surface but about “Mohawk Guy.” Bobak Ferdowsi is a 32-year old flight director at JPL who looks more … Continue reading
Posted in Apollo, Gemini, History of Space Science, Manned Spaceflight
Tagged Apollo, Astronaut Selection, Manned Spaceflight, Mars, Moon, NACA, NASA, Spaceflight
14 Comments
The X-15′s First Glide
It was a chilly morning on June 8, 1959 when Scott Crossfield climbed into the cockpit of the X-15 rocket aircraft. By 8:30, he was airborne, and the aircraft was nestled under the wing of the larger B-52 launch plane. … Continue reading
Posted in Aircraft, History of Space Science, Manned Spaceflight
Tagged Crossfield, Landing Systems, Launch Vehicles, NAA, NACA, X-15
4 Comments