WB-57; High Altitude Research Aircraft

Houston, TX: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Johnson Space Center, WB-57 Program Office, c2010. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Brochure. Very good. Format is approximately one sheet, 11 inches by 8.5 inches, folded in half, resulting in four panels, approximately 5.5 inches by 8.5 inches. Label related to WB-57 Program Office affixed on back panel. Illustrations (most in color) . Front panel had the document title and is mostly a photo from slightly above for the WB-57 in flight over water. The interior two panels provides a Program Overview and Payload Integration Locations, with captioned image of the plane from underneath, three payload photographs, and a photograph of the plane on the ground with crew members in the forefront. The rear panel has technical information on Performance and Capabilities with dimensional diagrams, and contact details for getting additional information. The NASA WB-57 Program provides unique, high-altitude airborne platforms to US Government agencies, academic institutions, and commercial customers in order to support scientific research and advanced technology development and testing at locations around the world. Mission examples include atmospheric and earth science, ground mapping, cosmic dust collection, rocket launch support, and test bed operations for future airborne or spaceborne systems. The NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas is the home of the NASA WB-57 High Altitude Research Program. Three fully operational WB-57 aircraft are based at Ellington Field. The aircraft have been flying research missions since the 1960's, and continue to be an asset to the scientific community with professional, reliable, customer-oriented service designed to meet all scientific objectives. The Martin/General Dynamics RB-57F Canberra is a specialized strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed in the 1960s for the United States Air Force by General Dynamics from the Martin B-57 Canberra tactical bomber, which itself was a license-built version of the English Electric Canberra. It was operationally assigned to the Air Weather Service for weather reconnaissance involving high-altitude atmospheric sampling and radiation detection in support of nuclear test monitoring, but four of the 21 modified aircraft performed solely as strategic reconnaissance platforms in Japan and Germany. Three of the modified aircraft were destroyed with loss of their crews while performing operationally. The remainder were re-designated WB-57F in 1968. Four of the survivors were subsequently used by NASA for high-altitude atmospheric research. The others were retired from 1972 to 1974 and placed in storage. As of 2015, three WB-57Fs are the only B-57 aircraft model still flying, in service with NASA.

The WB-57 is a mid-wing, long-range aircraft capable of operation for extended periods of time from sea level to altitudes well in excess of 60,000 feet. Two crew members are positioned at separate tandem stations in the cockpit. The pilot station contains all the essential equipment for flying the aircraft. The sensor operator station contains both navigational equipment and controls for the operation of the payloads and payload support systems located throughout the aircraft. The WB-57 can remain aloft for approximately 6.5 hours, flying both day and night, so long as separation from hazardous weather can be maintained. With a range of 2,500 miles, the aircraft can be deployed to any continent. The WB-57 aircraft can carry up to 6000 lbs. of payload. The WB-57 employs a pallet system in the main fuselage area. The pallet system consists of interchangeable pallet modules. Pressurized and unpressurized pallets are available. The pallet system will carry a total of 4000 lbs. including pallet weight. Lighter payloads can also be carried in the aft fuselage, tail cone, wing pods, wing hatches, and/ or the nose cone.