Title: NASA-USAF YF-12 Flight Research Program
Designer: Unknown
Year it was designed: circa 1969
Explanation or story behind the patch: The joint NASA-USAF YF-12 Flight Research Program flew three aircraft: YF-12A (60-6935), YF-12A (60-6936), and YF-12C (61-7951 / NASA 937). The YF-12C was actually the second SR-71A, but with a tail number (06937) borrowed from an A-12 (60-6937) in storage at the Lockheed facility in Palmdale, CA. The NASA program with the aircraft lasted from 1969 to 1979. YF-12A (60-6935) made 146 flights in 10 years. It was transferred to the USAF Museum in Dayton, OH on 7 November 1979. YF-12A (60-6936) made 62 flights in 1970 and 1971. It was lost in a non-fatal mishap on 24 June 1971. The YF-12C made 90 flights from 1971 and 1978. It was placed in storage at the Lockheed Palmdale facility, and eventually transferred to the Pima Air Museum in Tucson, AZ. The three aircraft served as versatile research testbeds for materials and propulsion technology at high speeds (up to Mach 3.2) and altitudes (up to 85,000 feet).
For more information on the YF-12 Flight Research Program, click https://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-047-DFRC.html