A digitally enhanced photograph of a NASA Northrop T-38 Talon trainer aircraft against a blue sky.

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Formerly assigned to NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., the T-38 aircraft had supported various aeronautics research projects there for a number of years. The aircraft is used by NASA Dryden's research pilots for proficiency and mission support flights. Dryden operated two T-38s for a number of years, replacing them with newer F-18s. However, the cost of maintaining and operating the F-18s make the fuel-friendly, lower maintenance T-38 an attractive addition to Dryden's fleet. NASA has also operated a small fleet of T-38s for pilot proficiency and training for astronauts at the Johnson Space Center in Texas since the mid-1960s.

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Size: 7405px × 4829px
Location: Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Photo credit: © Blakeley / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: -38, aircraft, blue, jet, nasa, northrop, plane, sky, stripe, talon, test, trainer, training, white