Point of Contact

Dr. Christian Gelzer (Tybrin Corp.)
Chief Historian
NASA Dryden Flight Research Center
(661) 276-5290
Christian.Gelzer-1@nasa.gov

Related Sites

› Historic Aircraft

› Dryden Publications

› Historic Speeches
   William H. Dana

› NASA History Home Page

Dryden History

This Week in Dryden's History

x-15 in flight

A collection of rare photos and historical facts documenting the extraordinary employees, special events and flight research projects flown at Dryden Flight Research Center over the last six decades.


Where Are They Now?

F-5D on runway

Want to know where you can see some of the most famous, cutting-edge aerospace vehicles ever flown? Fire-up the afterburner and cruise through this list to see where these historic NASA air and ...

› View site

NASA's 50th Anniversary

nasa 50th anniversary logo

On October 1, 2008 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration officially turned 50. This site celebrates the "Inspiration, Innovation, and Discovery" that defined the Agency's last five ...


Dryden Historical Features

  • crater in desert caused by F-104 crash in 1962

    Milt Thompson’s Wild Ride

    Ominous black smoke rose over California's high desert on a crisp, cold December morning in 1962, and there was no sign of a parachute.

  • X-15 in flight.

    Final Flight of the X-15 Left a Legacy of Success

    Research pilot William H. "Bill" Dana completed his cockpit checklist in preparation for a flight in the rocket-powered X-15.

  • M2-F1 in flight over lakebed on tow line

    The M2-F1: 'Look Ma! No Wings!'

    The planned retirement of the space shuttle fleet in 2010 will bring to a close an era that opened in the high desert of Southern California nearly a half century ago.

  • NASA Dryden research pilot Gordon Fullerton is greeted by his wife Marie on the Dryden ramp after his final flight

    Gordo's Final Flight

    Long-time NASA Dryden research pilot and former astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton capped an almost 50-year flying career, including more than 38 years with NASA, with a final flight in a NASA F/A-18 on Dec. 21, 2007.

Research Corner

  • X-15

    X-15 Interactive Feature

    The sensational, iconic, and groundbreaking X-15 hypersonic research aircraft extended flight to the edge of space during the 1950s and 1960s.

  • SR-71 flying over snow covered mountains

    Past Research Projects

    Links to information about past research projects and programs flown at Dryden Flight Research Center.

  • XB-70 taking off

    Dryden Fact Sheets

    Documents about the research projects, facilities, people, and history of the Dryden Flight Research Center.

  • Nighttime photograph of X-1E in front of Bldg. 4800

    Flight Research Milestones

    A chronological listing of major flight research milestones flow at Dryden Flight Research Center from the late 1940s to the present.

  • Dryden Center Director Kevin Petersen

    Dryden Biographies

    Biographies and photos of Dryden's present and former Directors, reseaerch pilots and current management team.

Multimedia

  • G-III Gulfstream banking over California desert

    Dryden Photo Gallery  →

    A collection of digitized photos containing many of the unique research aircraft flown at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center from the 1940s to the present.

  • AAW on display inside of hangar

    Dryden Movie Gallery  →

    A collection of QuickTime movies documenting flight research and special events conducted at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center from the 1940s to the present.

  • F-18 Systems Research Aircraft

    Dryden Graphics Gallery  →

    Digitized drawings, graphics and line art of many of the unique research aircraft flown at NASA Dryden from the 1940s to the present.