Nasa Dryden: Where advanced aircraft fly high

Flying fleet

Nasa's Dryden Flight Research Center is the home of the space agency’s cutting edge research craft. Over the years, its fleet has included three SR-71 Blackbirds. (Copyright: Nasa)
Feeling supersonic

The centre has contributed to several milestones in aircraft development, including the first ever supersonic flight. (Copyright: Nasa)
Record breaker

Twenty years later, Dryden was involved with the flight of the X-15 craft, which still holds the record for the fastest ever manned flight at more than Mach four. (Copyright: Nasa)
Flying giant

Many of these tests were conducted by dropping experimental craft from Dryden’s adapted B52 Stratofortress, which was retired in December 2004. (Copyright: Nasa)
Wired up

Other milestones at the base include work on digital “fly-by-wire” aircraft, which use computers to stabilise the craft and make them more manoeuvrable. (Copyright: Nasa)
Moon shot

Dryden has also contributed to space programmes, including developing a machine for Apollo astronauts to simulate the Moon landing. (Copyright: Nasa)
Sun rise

The centre has also done a lot of work on innovative propulsion and energy systems, such as the Centurion – a remotely piloted, solar-powered aircraft. (Copyright: Nasa)
Along for the ride

The base is also home to a converted Boeing 747, which was used to ferry the Space Shuttle between California and Florida, before the space craft’s retirement. (Copyright: Nasa)
High-flying

Dryden is also home to a large fleet of scientific aircraft, including two ER-2s, which are similar in design to the U2 spy planes flown during the Cold War. (Copyright: Nasa)
Water way to fly

A lot of research is also now done on innovative unmanned systems, such as Boeing’s hydrogen-powered Phantom Eye prototype. (Copyright: Nasa)