EG-0007-02
The Martin B-57B Camberra (Night Intruder) light bomber was used on several NASA joint flight test programs at the NASA Flight Research Center located at Edwards Air Force Base. The two seated aircraft was powered by two J-56-W-5 turbojet engines.
The early 1970s was a period of growing interest in continuing atmospheric research. The B-57B Camberra was at NASA Flight Research Center for a joint program with NASA Langley Research Center and was having a set of special instrumentation installed for these measurements. Delays in completing the instrumentation provided another opportunity to support the NASA space program. The B-57B was used in proof of concept testing of the Viking Mars landers. The deceleration drop testing part of the program was performed at the Joint Parachute Test Facility, located at El Centro California.
With completion of the Viking parachute testing the B-57B Camberra was flown for measuring and analysis of atmospheric turbulence research in 1974-75 as part of a joint NASA program between the Flight Research Center and Langley Research center. Additional atmospheric testing provided samples for aerosols for the University of Wyoming and clear-air turbulence data for the Department of Transportation.
The aircraft was tested over a span of many years at Edwards by NASA centers for other types of research. In the early 1960s the B-57B was flown at NASA Flight Research Center by NASA Lewis Research Center in support of the newly established NASA Electronics Center located in Boston, Massachusetts. Later in 1982 the B-57B returned to NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility for more NASA Langley sponsored turbulence testing. The atmospheric part of the research program provided information on mountain waves, jet streams, convective turbulence, and atmospheric contaminants.