NASA - Dryden Flight Research Center

Dryden News

NASA Dryden Salutes Our Nation’s Independence

NASA Dryden’s four F/A-18 mission support aircraft during a formation pilot proficiency flight with flag background.

On the 233rd anniversary of the United States of America’s Declaration of Independence, NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center salutes our nation’s flag on Independence Day weekend 2009. NASA Dryden photographer Tom Tschida created this composite image from an original image taken by Dryden photographer Carla Thomas of NASA Dryden’s four F/A-18 mission support aircraft during a formation pilot proficiency flight on Nov. 24, 2008. (NASA photo / Carla Thomas / Tom Tschida)

NASA’s ER-2 Gathers Forest and Cloud Data

One of NASA’s two ER-2 Earth resources aircraft soars over crowd during the 2009 Air Force Material Command Freedom’s Call Tattoo on June 26.

One of NASA’s two ER-2 Earth resources aircraft soars over the crowd during the 2009 Air Force Material Command’s Freedom’s Call Tattoo.

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NASA Completes Icelandic Portion of Arctic Ice Radar Mi...

The blue lines superimposed over a Google Earth image of Iceland shows the tracks flown by NASA’s Gulfstream III science research aircraft during one of the Arctic Ice Radar Mission flights flown during the second week of June 2009.

By June 8, NASA’s UAVSAR team had completed all the objectives of the Arctic Ice Radar Mission in Greenland and flew to Keflavik International Airport to measure the topography and 3D surface velociti...

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Patented NASA Technology Enables Real-Time View of Obje...

The engineering and technical team at NASA Dryden that developed the Fiber Optic Wing Shape Sensor System included (from left) Anthony Piazza, Allen Parker, William Ko and Lance Richards.

Imagine wind turbine blades that can automatically adjust their shape in real time to produce more energy.

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News and Features

Scientists Search for a Pulse Above Earthquake Area

A new NASA 3-D airborne radar, capable of seeing below the surface, will study earthquake faults in California.
NASA Co-Op Intern Krystal Gunter Reaching for the Stars

As a nine-year old, Krystal Gunter was up at 4 a.m. one morning to watch a space shuttle fly over her home on its approach to a landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Since then, the Corpus Christi, Texas, native has aspired to work for NASA.
Supersonic Diving: Quieting the Boom

Sonic booms are a part of life at Edwards Air Force Base and in surrounding communities, so booms generated on June 11 by two NASA Dryden Flight Research Center F/A-18s went relatively unnoticed.
Astronomers Assess SOFIA Telescope Systems

Astronomers for the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, program recently conducted five nights of telescope testing
NASA Dryden to Host 2009 Power Beaming Challenge July 14

NASA’s Centennial Challenges Program, NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center and the Spaceward Foundation have announced that the 2009 Power-Beaming Challenge, part of Spaceward’s Space Elevator Games, will be held at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center on July 14, 2009.
NASA's Space Shuttle Returns To Earth After Hubble Mission

Space shuttle Atlantis and its crew landed at 8:39 a.m. PDT Sunday at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., completing the final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Legend Begins - The Maiden Flight of the X-15

On June 8, 1959, a sleek black rocket plane was carried aloft beneath the wing of a B-52.

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Dryden Spotlight

STS-127

Space shuttle mission STS-127 will deliver the final components of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory to the International Space Station.
NASA Mission Monitors Arctic Ice

NASA's G-III research aircraft is radar mapping and monitoring Arctic ice on Greenland and Iceland this Spring.

› Mission Status Report
› G-III Photo Gallery
Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle

NASA Dryden is leading the Orion crew module launch abort system flight test effort, including crew module systems integration for the first two flights.
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› Orion Photos
› Orion Movies
SOFIA

NASA is developing the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy - or SOFIA - as a world-class airborne observatory that will complement the Hubble, Spitzer, Herschel and James Webb space telescopes and major Earth-based telescopes.
› Mission Update
Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility

Our new aircraft operations facility in Palmdale offers the expanded space needed to manage Dryden's airborne science missions and research platforms.
Research Update

Current flight research projects and programs being flown at Dryden Flight Research Center.
This Week in Dryden's History

A collection of historical facts and events from Dryden's last 50 years.
50th Anniversary X-Press

Dryden has made many significant contributions to NASA's mission since the agency's inception five decades ago. The 50th anniversary issue of the X-Press profiles 61 employees and 28 current and past projects.

› Read 50th Anniversary X-Press
› View Special Photo Edition