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SR-71 with LASRE Aboard Refueled by KC-135 Tanker

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NASA

Mar 12, 2014
Image Article
SR-71 with LASRE Aboard Refueled by KC-135 Tanker
A NASA SR-71 refuels from an Edwards Air Force Base KC-135 during the first flight of the NASA/Rocketdyne/Lockheed Martin Linear Aerospike SR-71 Experiment (LASRE). The flight took place Oct. 31 at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA.

EC97-44295-114
A NASA SR-71 refuels from an Edwards Air Force Base KC-135 during the first flight of the NASA/Rocketdyne/Lockheed Martin Linear Aerospike SR-71 Experiment (LASRE). The flight took place Oct. 31 at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA.
The SR-71 took off at 8:31 a.m. PST. The aircraft flew for one hour and fifty minutes, reaching a maximum speed of Mach 1.2 before landing at Edwards at 10:21 a.m. PST, successfully validating the SR-71/linear aerospike experiment configuration.
The goal of the first flight was to evaluate the aerodynamic characteristics and the handling of the SR-71/linear aerospike experiment configuration. The engine was not fired during the flight.October 31, 1997NASA Photo / Lori Losey› SR-71-LASRE Project Description