NASA’s workhorse research and cargo airlifter returned to its home station at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility Tuesday, Dec. 21, just in time for the holidays and sporting a new NASA paint job.
The NASA C-130 Hercules, also known as the Herc and to some fliers as NASA 436, had been in scheduled maintenance at a facility in Rome, New York, since September 2021 where it was serviced and then decked out in signature NASA blue and white colors. The plane is wrapped white with a blue ribbon along the side, complete with the NASA “meatball” bow to tie it together. Along the tailfin is the classic NASA “worm” logo to ring in the old with the new.
The C-130, built in 1986 and acquired by NASA in 2015, supports airborne scientific research, provides logistics support and movement of NASA cargo, and supports technology demonstration missions. Notably, the aircraft provided a critical lift for cargo and scientific equipment in support of NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover mission, which launched in 2020. While home for the holidays, the mighty Herc won’t be staying in place too long — its next mission is a Commercial Crew Parachute Airdrop Testing (CCPAT) mission for NASA scheduled in early January in Yuma, Arizona.