With a name like Starfighter, F-104s were destined to serve NASA in the extreme regime of high-speed flight research.
NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center flew Lockheed F-104 Starfighter aircraft in a wide variety of missions beginning in August 1956. Over the next 38 years, 11 were operated by NASA Dryden, at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., with the last Starfighter flight taking place in February 1994.
NASA Starfighters provided flight research data on everything from aircraft handling characteristics, such as roll coupling, to reaction control system research. With the approaching X-15 rocket-powered research aircraft program in the late 1950’s, research pilots needed experience in flying with reaction control systems, which are key to spacecraft control and maneuverability. A NASA F-104 modified with a hydrogen peroxide thruster system provided the necessary experience for the soon-to-be rocket pilots…Learn more
F-104N #812 is on currently on display at the Lockheed Martin Skunkworks Facility in Palmdale, California.