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NASA Provides Ground Support for COVID-19 Aid Work

NASA and Samaritans Purse DC-8 aircrafts parked on the ramp in front of NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center Building 703.
NASA has once again joined forces with the community in the continuing effort to fight COVID-19.

NASA and Samaritans Purse DC-8 aircrafts parked on the ramp in front of NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center Building 703.Credits: NASA Photo / Lauren Hughes

NASA has once again joined forces with the community in the continuing effort to fight COVID-19.

The agency provided specialized ground support on Jan. 11 for Samaritan’s Purse, enabling the aid organization to land their DC-8 cargo jet at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center Building 703 in Palmdale, California.

The Samaritan’s Purse DC-8 arrived early Monday with supplies to aid in Los Angeles County’s Emergency Field Hospital that will expand capacity to care for COVID-19 patients at Antelope Valley Hospital. The aircraft is specially configured to carry up to 84,000 pounds of cargo and 32 passengers in support of international relief efforts.

NASA also operates a highly modified Douglas DC-8 as a flying science laboratory in support of the agency’s Airborne Science program. NASA’s DC-8, based at Armstrong, is flown to collect data for experiments in support of projects serving the world’s scientific community.

While there are few operational DC-8’s left in the world, the arrival resulted in a rare visual, as these two aircraft met on the same flight line.

To learn more about NASA’s response to coronavirus, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/coronavirus

Jessica Arreola
Public Affairs Specialist
Armstrong Flight Research Center