Dryden Flight Research Center

The Dryden Flight Research Center is NASA's premier installation for aeronautical flight research. It is located at Edwards, CA, on the western edge of the Mojave Desert 80 miles north of metropolitan Los Angeles.

In addition to carrying out aeronautical research, the center also supports the Space Shuttle program as a primary and backup landing site, and as a facility to test and validate design concepts and systems used in development and operation of the orbiters.

The center, within the boundaries of Edwards Air Force Base, is on the northwest edge of Rogers Dry Lake, a 44-square mile natural playa used for aviation research and test operations and for emergency landings. An additional 22 square miles of similar smooth clay surface is provided by nearby Rosamond Dry Lake.

Aerial view of Center and Lakebed

The Early Years

Since the days of the X-l, the first aircraft to fly faster than the speed of sound, the facility has grown in size and significance and is associated with many important milestones in aviation -- supersonic and hypersonic flight, wingless lifting bodies,fly-by-wire, supercritical and forward swept wings, and the Space Shuttles.

Among the aircraft flown by NACA and NASA pilots at Dryden in earlier years were:

Original X-Series:

The X-l-2 A, B, and E models of the X-l, and the X-3, X-4 and X-5 aircraft. These research vehicles pioneered flight at and beyond the speed of sound, and proved the concepts of swept and variable-sweep wings.

D-558-I and II:

The No. 1 aircraft investigated stability and control at transonic speeds, while the D-558-2 became the first aircraft to fly twice the speed of sound.

X-15:

This was a rocket-powered vehicle that extended manned aircraft flight to more than 4500 mph and to altitudes of over 350,000 ft. It was the first aircraft to use thrusters for pitch, yaw, and roll control on the fringes of the atmosphere. Data collected on stability, flight controls, and thermal heating were used in development of spacecraft and future aircraft. Flown between 1959 and 1968, it is considered the most productive and successful of any research aircraft to date.

XB-70:

This prototype supersonic bomber became the largest experimental aircraft ever. Research data were, and continue to be, available for the design of future supersonic military and civilian aircraft.

Lifting Bodies:

Five wingless vehicle designs -- M2-F2, M2-F3, HL-10, X-24A and X-24B -- were flown from 1966 to 1975 in a program to obtain data about controllable atmospheric reentry that contributed to development of the Space Shuttle. An earlier Dryden-built lightweight lifting body, the M2-F1, pioneered the concept and paved the way for the formal program with the heavyweight vehicle.

The Recent Years

In the 1970's, Dryden modified a former Navy F-8 aircraft with an all-electric flight control system and with it pioneered the Digital Fly-By-Wire (DFBW) concept now used on many military and commercial aircraft. A DFBW system replaces mechanical linkages between the cockpit and control surfaces and allows pilots to fly complex, high-performance aircraft more efficiently. It also reduces aircraft weight and the space needed for systems installation. The DFBW F-8 was also the testbed for the fly-by-wire system used in the Space Shuttle.

Another F-8 in the 1970's was the testbed for a new airfoil called the Supercritical Wing. The NASA-designed airfoil is flatter on top and more rounded on the bottom than a conventional wing. At high subsonic speeds it allows higher cruise speeds with less fuel and power requirements. Supercritical wings are now used on a number of military and commercial aircraft.

Other major programs in recent years have included:

Mission Adaptive Wing:

A wing on which leading and trailing edges were contoured in flight to form an airfoil best suited for speed, altitude, and maneuvers. Project aircraft was an F-111.

Advanced Propellers:

Using a NASA JetStar, scale model high-Mach-number propellers were acoustically tested in a program to lower interior aircraft cabin noise and reduce structural vibrations.

Oblique Wing:

Research flights to evaluate the concept of pivoting an aircraft wing at angles of up to 60 degrees to reduce drag above and below the speed of sound were carried out with a specially built aircraft called the AD-1. Also called the scissor-wing, the oblique wing was in a conventional position for takeoffs and landing, and skewed to up to 60 degrees in flight.

Ground Vehicle Fuel Conservation Study:

Conducted by Dryden in 1974 and l975 for the Department of Transportation, it showed that add-on wind deflectors and other similar devices reduce aerodynamic drag on truck-trailer rigs from 2 to 24 percent and help reduce fuel costs. They are seen daily now on many vehicles.

Today at Dryden

F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV):

Dryden is flying a modified F-18 to study airflow, behavior of flight control surfaces, and engine performance at high angles of attack. The information is being gathered to create a database for aircraft designers to accurately predict airflow over surfaces at high angles of attack. Technology is expected to result in control and performance improvements and better flight safety in future high-performance aircraft, and help reduce costly design changes that sometimes are required during development. A thrust-vectoring system using spoon-shaped paddles has been installed on the aircraft to direct engine exhaust flow. The thrust-vectoring system provides pitch and yaw control to enhance maneuverability and control of the research aircraft at high angles of attack and allows the project to collect a greater amount of data for longer periods of time.

F-18 Systems Research Aircraft (SRA):

A second modified F-18 is being flown to test the newest and most advanced technologies such as electric actuators, fiber optics, and flush airdata collection systems. The SRA is a faster, better, cheaper approach in systems development and is expected to help accelerate the transition of new aerospace concepts to U.S. industry.

F-15 HIDEC:

The HIDEC (Highly Integrated Digital Electronic Control) F-15 program conducts flight research on integrated digital electronic flight and engine control systems and has demonstrated improved rates of climb, fuel savings, and engine thrust by optimizing systems performance based on mission and real-time needs. The HIDEC F-15 tested and evaluated a computerized self-repairing flight control system for the Air Force. The system can detect damaged or failed flight control components -- rudders, ailerons, elevators, flaps -- and reconfigure unaffected flight surfaces so the pilot can maintain aircraft control to either complete the mission or land safely. The HIDEC was also used in a recent study that successfully showed that multi-engine aircraft with specially programmed flight control systems could be controlled and landed using just the engines for directional control if a failure of the aircraft's hydraulic system occurred.

F-16XL:

NASA has demonstrated for the first time with an F-16LX aircraft laminar flow over a swept wing at supersonic speeds. Current wing designs produce turbulence at the wing surface and the penalty is decreased performance and fuel efficiency. The "XL" program at Dryden is investigating methods of minimizing the turbulent layer of air with an experimental wing section (called a glove) that draws off most of the turbulent air with a suction system. The laminar flow research could be an important step to increase flight efficiency and reduce fuel consumption of future high-speed civil transports.

SR-71:

A trio of triple-sonic SR-71s has been loaned to NASA by the Air Force and are being used at Dryden for aeronautical research that calls for high-speed, high-altitude environments. Data collected by the SR-71 "Blackbirds" will help in the development of future high-speed military and civil aircraft, including a high-speed civil transport.

X-31:

The X-31 International Test Organization (ITO) is located at Dryden and flight test operations with the two thrust-vectored vehicles are expected to continue at Dryden through l993. The two X-31s are being flown in a program managed by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) to demonstrate the value of thrust vectoring, coupled with an advanced flight control system, for close-in air combat maneuvering at high angles of attack. The information could be applied to the development of highly-maneuverable next-generation fighters. The program is independent of other thrust-vectoring and high-angle-of-attack programs at Dryden, but has complementary goals.

B-52:

The NASA B-52 aircraft is currently being used to test the F-111 crew capsule parachute recovery system for the Air Force and it is the launch aircraft for the commercially developed-Pegasus space booster system. The NASA B-52, with a tail number of "008," is the same launch aircraft used in the X-15 and lifting body programs and is the oldest B-52 in flying status. The eight-engine aircraft has been used in recent years as the air-launch platform for several remotely piloted vehicles studying aircraft spin-stall characteristics, high angle of attack, and fighter technologies. It was also used to verify the parachute recovery system on the Space Shuttle's solid rocket boosters and also the drag chute system now being installed on the orbiters.

CV-990:

A highly modified NASA CV-990 aircraft is being used to test space shuttle landing gear assemblies. The Landing Systems Research Aircraft (LSRA) is producing data to help improve space shuttle landing gear performance and give shuttle crews and engineers data about tire, wheel, and systems failures.

F-15 ACTIVE:

A highly modified F-15 is expected to begin flying in late 1993 using a multi-axis thrust vectoring system, linked to an advanced flight control system that includes active canards, in a program called ACTIVE (advanced control technology for integrated vehicles). The goal of ACTIVE is to develop technologies to advance the cruising and maneuvering capabilities of future aircraft.

AFTI/F-16:

The Advanced Fighter Technology Integration (AFTI) F-16 program is a joint NASA/USAF effort evaluating advanced digital flight controls, automated maneuvering, voice-activated controls, and close air support attack systems on a modified F-16. Research and test results could be applied to future military aircraft.

X-29:

NASA's two major programs with the X-29 forward-swept wing research aircraft have concluded. Initial flights with the No. 1 aircraft, beginning in l984, showed that the unusual configuration, coupled with movable canards, reduces aerodynamic drag by up to 20 percent at transonic speeds.

NASA's high angle of attack research program with the No. 2 aircraft ended in l991 and demonstrated that the aircraft design has better-than-expected control and maneuverability at angles of attack up to 45 degrees. A follow-on Air Force program in 1992 investigated the use of forebody controls on the aircraft's nose for additional control and maneuverability at high angles of attack. NASA participated with engineering and maintenance support, and a NASA research pilot was also a part of the flight research team. During its flight history, the X-29s were flown on 302 research missions, the most of any X-series program flown at Dryden.

Space Shuttles

The facility was the site of the space shuttle Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) in 1977. The prototype orbiter Enterprise was used in ALT to verify the glide and handling qualities of the vehicle following its return into the atmosphere from space. During ALT, Enterprise was taken aloft atop the NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) and air launched for the glide flights back to the lakebed and to the main runway at Edwards.

Dryden pilots and engineers were testing and validating design concepts that helped in the development of the space shuttle configuration more than a decade before testing began with the Enterprise. Subsequent flight testing at Dryden also contributed significantly in development of the space shuttle thermal protection system, solid rocket booster recovery system, flight control system computer software, and the drag chutes designed to help increase landing efficiency and safety.

Since the first orbital flight in Apr. 1981, the majority of landings have been at Dryden. After the landings, the orbiters are serviced at Dryden for the ferry flights back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida piggyback atop the NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.

The ALT program and the first several orbital landings during the shuttle's test and development stage were at Dryden because of the safety margin presented by Rogers Dry Lake. Planned landings have resumed at the Kennedy Space Center now that braking and nose wheel steering systems have been tested, additional aerodynamic and handling data have been obtained, and better landing site weather forecasting is available. Dryden, however, will always remain a desirable landing site on future missions if there is unfavorable weather in Florida at the time of the planned landing. Dryden is always considered a backup landing site because of the many landing options presented by the main concrete and the lakebed runways at Edwards when heavy payloads are being returned to Earth, or for contingency reasons. Rosamond Dry Lake at Edwards also has two lakebed runways available for contingency landings, if needed.

Facilities

Annual Fiscal Year 1993 budget for Dryden site operations is $109 million: $30 million in salaries and related expenses, $11 million for institutional support, $2 million for facilities construction, and $66 million for research, development and associated expenditures.

Along with a varied fleet of research and support aircraft, Dryden facilities include a high-temperature and loads calibration laboratory to ground test aircraft and structural components for the combined effects of loads and heat; a highly developed aircraft flight instrumentation capability; a flight systems laboratory with a diversified capability for avionics system development; a flow visualization facility to study flow patterns on models and small aircraft components; a data analysis facility to process flight research data; a facility to carry out flight research with remotely piloted vehicles; and communications and data transmission capabilities linking Dryden to Western Aeronautical Test Range facilities at Ames Research Center and with NASA's Crows Landing complex near Ames.

These facilities have given Dryden pilots, engineers, scientists, and technicians a unique and highly specialized capability to conduct flight research programs unmatched anywhere in the world. The list of diverse vehicles flown and operated by Dryden includes not only high-speed research aircraft but such diverse vehicles as the wingless lifting bodies, the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle, and others investigating flight stability, new control and propulsion systems, and technology to make aircraft more maneuverable and safer to fly.

Dryden's Integrated Test Facility (ITF), which became operational in 1992, is used to carry out simultaneous systems checks on a wide variety of aircraft. It is the only facility of its type in NASA and is designed to speed up and enhance systems integration and preflight checks on all types of research aircraft.

Ideal Location

The dry lakebeds are used for planned operations and they provide an important safety margin for emergency landings.

More than 20,000 square miles of restricted airspace over California's high desert, known as the R-2508 Complex, are available for research flying. Agencies monitoring flights in R-2508 are linked directly to NASA's Western Aeronautical Test Range (WATR) to provide positive control and enhance flight safety. The test range also includes restricted airspace off the California coast.

The desert environment provides good flying weather an average of 345 days a year, and the absence of large population centers throughout the high desert help eliminate problems associated with aircraft noise and flight patterns.

Dr. Hugh L. Dryden

Dr. Hugh L. Dryden was an internationally known aeronautical scientist who became a member of NACA in 1931 while working for the Bureau of Standards. In 1946, he was appointed NACA's Director of Aeronautical Research, NACA's highest full-time official then. He was responsible for making Dryden a permanent facility in 1947. Dryden was named to the newly created post of NACA director in 1949. When NACA became a new agency under the name of NASA in 1958, Dryden remained as deputy administrator until he died Dec. 2, 1965. The facility was named the Dryden Flight Research Center on Mar. 26, 1975.

A variety of aircraft representative of the fleet of research and support aircraft flown at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA, are displayed on the facility's ramp. They are, from front, L-R: F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV); X-29 Forward-Swept Wing Technology Demonstrator Aircraft; F-15 Highly Integrated Digital Electronic Control (HIDEC) Aircraft; F-16 Laminar Flow Research Aircraft; three F/A-18 research support aircraft; T-38 research support aircraft; F-104 aeronautical research aircraft; and center, rear, one of three SR-71s to be used in a high-speed, high-altitude research program. At far left is NASA's B-52 air launch aircraft, with a Pegasus air-launched space booster on a trailer nearby. At far right is one of NASA's two 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA).

Modified: February 2, 1994