OVER EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- NASA's B-52B launch aircraft takes off carrying an X-43A hypersonic research aircraft on an evaluation flight Sept. 27. The B-52, the oldest still flying, was officially retired from service during a ceremony at Edwards Air Force Base Dec. 17. (National Aeronautics and Space Administration photo by Tom Tschida)
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- NASA's B-52B launch aircraft takes off from here Nov. 16 carrying an X-43A hypersonic research aircraft attached to a modified Pegasus rocket. It was the last evaluation flight for the B-52 before it was officially retired from service during a ceremony here Dec. 17. (National Aeronautics and Space Administration photo by Tom Tschida)
OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN -- NASA's B-52B launch aircraft cruises to a test range here Nov. 16 carrying an X-43A hypersonic research aircraft attached to a Pegasus rocket. It was the last evaluation flight for the B-52 before it was officially retired from service during a ceremony at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on Dec. 17. (National Aeronautics and Space Administration photo by Carla Thomas)
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- NASA's B-52B was officially retired during a ceremony here Dec. 17 after nearly 50 years of dropping advanced research vehicles. Attending the ceremony were (from left) retired NASA research pilot Ed Schneider; Kevin Petersen, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center director; Brig. Gen. Curtis Bedke, Air Force Flight Test Center commander; retired NASA pilot Fitz Fulton; current NASA pilot Gordon Fullerton; and AFFTC chief historian James Young. (National Aeronautics and Space Administration photo by Tom Tschida)
12/20/2004 - EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) -- NASA's B-52B Stratofortress "mothership" air-launch aircraft has retired after nearly 50 years of dropping advanced research vehicles.
Officials at the Air Force Flight Test Center and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Dryden Flight Research Center here held a retirement ceremony Dec. 17.
For most of its lifetime, this B-52 has participated in some of the most significant projects in aerospace history, officials said. At its retirement, the air launch and research aircraft was NASA’s oldest aircraft, as well as the oldest flyable B-52. At the same time, it has the lowest number of flying hours of any B-52 in operation, having been used exclusively for research.
The aircraft first flew in June 1955 and was flown by the Air Force in the B-52 test program for several years before it was modified to support the X-15 research aircraft program in 1959. It flew its last research mission Nov. 16, launching the scramjet-powered X-43A hypersonic research aircraft on its record Mach 9.6 flight over the Pacific Ocean.
Officials said they plan to place the aircraft on permanent display here.
