M2-F3 lifting-body research aircraft begins its rocket-powered flight after being launched from wing of NASA's B-52 mothership.
This photo shows the M2-F3 lifting body being launched from NASA's B- 52 mothership at the NASA Flight Research Center (FRC--now the Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California. A fleet of lifting bodies flown at the FRC from 1963 to l975 demonstrated the ability of pilots to maneuver and safely land a wingless vehicle designed to fly back to Earth from space and be landed like an aircraft at a pre-determined site.
Size: 3029px × 2049px
Photo credit: © NASA Archive / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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