Panoramic runway photo by: Tom Bozak

1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958

Price of Gas

Collier Trophy

Sports Illustrated 

Sportsperson of the Year

Time Magazine

Person of the Year

Academy Award

for Best Picture

NACA Chairman

U.S. President

NACA Director

Price of Gas

Collier Trophy

Sports Illustrated 

Sportsperson of the Year

Time Magazine

Person of the Year

Academy Award

for Best Picture

NACA Chairman

U.S. President

NACA Director

NACA: SOLVING DECADES OF AVIATION CHALLENGES

1915

March 3, 1915

A rider to the Naval 

Appropriations Act established 

the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). 

The Committee was instituted 

to “supervise and direct the 

scientific study of the problems of flight, with a view to 

their practical solution.” The 

sum of $5,000 a year was 

appropriated for five years. The 

total appropriation for naval 

aeronautics was $1 million.

April 2, 1915

President Wilson appointed the 

first 12 members of the NACA. 

Throughout the entire history 

of the NACA until October 

1958, members served without 

compensation. Orville Wright 

was a member from 1920 to 

1948.

April 23, 1915

The Secretary of War called 

the first meeting of the NACA 

in his office. Brig. Gen. George 

P. Scriven, Chief Signal Officer, 

was elected temporary Chairman, and Dr. Charles D. Walcott, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, was elected 

first Chairman of the important 

NACA Executive Committee.

June 1915

First employee, John Victory, 

hired as a clerk.

October 7, 1915

NACA Report No. 1 was issued, a two-part “Report on 

Behavior of Aeroplanes in 

Gusts,” by Jerome C. Hunsaker and E. B. Wilson of MIT.

World War I: 1914–1918

Woodrow Wilson

March 4, 1913 - March 4, 1921

George P. Scriven, U.S. Army

April 23, 1915 - Fall 1916

W. Starling Burgess for the 

Burgess-Dunne hydro-aeroplane

1916

1916-1917: The NACA called the first joint meeting of 

the aircraft industry and Government agencies. This conference was instrumental in the creation of the Manufacturers Aircraft Association and in the recommendation for 

the formation of the Aircraft Production Board for WWI 

aircraft production.

June 8, 1916

The NACA called the first 

meeting of representatives of 

the aircraft industry and of interested Government agencies.

September 2, 1916

Pilots directly communicate 

with each other by radio for the 

first time while in flight.

October 5, 1916

The NACA first recommended 

inauguration of airmail service, 

and William F. Durand was 

elected Chairman of the NACA.

Jeannette Rankin becomes first 

woman elected to Congress.

William F. Durand, Stanford University

Fall 1916 - October 10, 1918

Elmer Sperry for the Sperry drift 

indicator

1917

During 1917

U.S. Weather Bureau aerological specialist, William R. Blair, 

prepared NACA Report No. 13, 

“Meteorology and Aeronautics,” which was widely circulated as a basic handbook.

July 17, 1917

Langley Memorial Aeronautical 

Laboratory, the site for NACA’s 

first experimental aeronautical 

facility, was founded. These 

facilities and their successors 

contribute to the advancement 

of aeronautics and space flight.

NACA reviews Liberty engine 

design, recommends production of what becomes the most 

important U.S. aircraft engine 

of WWI.

NACA leadership helps settle 

patent dispute between the 

Wright Brothers and Glenn 

Curtiss. Patent pool frees 

nascent U.S. aircraft industry 

from lawsuit fears and spurs 

innovation.

April 6, 1917

First U.S. combat troops in 

France as U.S. declares war on 

Germany.

No Collier Trophy due to war

1918

January 1918

The NACA established Office 

of Aeronautical Intelligence at 

the suggestion of the Aircraft 

Board to collect and distribute 

scientific and technical data on 

aeronautics.

May 1918

At instigation of Dr. W. F. Durand, Chairman of the NACA, 

General Electric assembled an 

experimental turbo supercharger on a Liberty engine at 

Dayton.

May 15, 1918

Air mail begins with first flight 

originating from the Polo 

Grounds, Washington, D.C.

NACA Research Authorization 

#1 “Comparison of Mathematical Analysis and Model Tests of 

Air Propellers” initiated June 29. 

Worldwide influenza epidemic 

strikes; by 1920, nearly 20 

million are dead. In U.S. alone, 

500,000 perish.

November 11, 1918

World War I ends with German 

defeat.

No Collier Trophy due to war

1919

February 19, 1919

The NACA recommendations 

on regulating air commerce, 

the licensing of pilots, the 

inspection of aircraft, and 

the use of landing fields were 

transmitted to Congress 

through the Secretary of the 

Treasury.

Joseph Ames appointed a member of the main Committee. By 

1927, Ames becomes longestserving Committee chair.

June, 1919

Paris office of the NACA 

opened with William Knight in 

charge to collect and disseminate aeronautical information 

in Britain, France, and Italy.

NACA acquires two spare 

Curtis JN-4H “Jennies” on loan 

from the U.S. Army for flight 

test work. 

October 9, 1919

Joseph S. Ames is elected 

Chairman of the Executive 

Committee, a post he held 

until October 7, 1939.

Versailles Treaty, incorporating 

Woodrow Wilson’s draft Covenant of League of Nations, 

signed by Allies and Germany; 

rejected by U.S. Senate.

John R. Freeman, Consulting Engineer

October 10, 1918 - August 1, 1919

Charles D. Walcott, Smithsonian Institution

August 1, 1919 - d. February 9, 1927

George W. Lewis

1919 - 1947

No Collier Trophy due to war

1920

January 29, 1920

Orville Wright appointed to 

NACA by President Wilson.

June 11, 1920

Langley Memorial Aeronautical 

Laboratory is dedicated.

June 11, 1920

Wind Tunnel 1 at NACA Langley was formally dedicated. It 

was the first of many nowfamous NACA and NASA wind 

tunnels. Although this specific 

wind tunnel was not unique 

or advanced, it led NACA 

engineers and scientists to advanced wind tunnel concepts.

Women’s suffrage (19th) 

amendment ratified.

$0.30

No Collier Trophy due to war

1921

Max Munk arrives from 

Germany, joins NACA. Munk 

proposes development of the 

Variable Density and Propeller 

Research Tunnels, and devises 

mathematical tools for wing 

design.

Langley staff numbers just 44 

people.

John J. Ide becomes the NACA 

representative to Europe, and 

remains there until WWII forces 

his return to the U.S.. 

Reparations Commission fixes 

German World War I liability at 

132 billion gold marks. German 

inflation begins.

Warren G. Harding

March 4, 1921 - August 2, 1923

$0.26

Grover C. Loening for his aerial yacht

1922

April 1922

Physicist Pearl I. Young hired 

by NACA and becomes architect of the NACA Technical 

Reports system.

NACA research airplane group 

includes four aircraft: a Vought 

VE-7 and 3 Curtis JN-4 H Jennies. 

October 19, 1922

The Variable Density Tunnel 

(VDT) commences operation. 

The VDT brought a new concept in wind tunnel design.

Mussolini marches on Rome; 

forms Fascist government.

$0.25

U.S. Air Mail Service for a year’s operation without a single fatal accident

1923

Leigh M. Griffith becomes 

Langley’s first “Engineer in 

Charge.” 

NACA engineers begin inventing new instruments that automate the collection of flight 

and wind tunnel test data, 

like this one used to measure 

aircraft stability.

May 2-3, 1923

First nonstop coast-to-coast 

airplane flight from New York 

to San Diego lasted 26 hours, 

50 minutes.

Adolf Hitler’s “Beer Hall 

Putsch” in Munich fails; in 

1924 he is sentenced to five 

years in prison where he writes 

Mein Kampf; released after 

eight months.

Calvin Coolidge

August 2, 1923 - March 4, 1929

$0.22

U.S. Air Mail Service for night flying in 

commercial transportation

1924

George Lewis’ title changes to 

Director of Research.

1924-1960s

Compressibility research, 

the study of air’s behavior as 

a high-speed compressible 

fluid began in the 1920s and 

enabled researchers to solve 

control problems later experienced by WWII airplanes.

NACA acquires a Boeing PW-9 

from the U.S. Army.

Master of both theoretical and 

experimental research, Theodore Theodorsen becomes 

director of Langley’s Physical 

Research Division.

Robert Frost wins first of four 

Pulitzer Prizes.

$0.21

U.S. Army Air Service for first aerial 

flight around the world

1925

NACA provides inputs to the 

Morrow Board, which leads to 

the Air Commerce Act.

Langley staff increases to 

more than 100.

May 23, 1925

First NACA Aircraft Engineering Research Conference was 

held. Government promoted 

the transfer of technology and 

expertise to industry.

John Logie Baird, Scottish 

inventor, transmits human 

features by television.

John T. Scopes convicted and 

fined for teaching evolution in 

a public school in Tennessee 

“Monkey Trial”.

$0.22

Sylvanus Albert Reed for development 

of the metal airplane propeller

1926

Henry J.E. Reid becomes 

Langley’s Engineer in Charge, 

continuing as director until his 

retirement in 1960.

May 24, 1926

Langley hosts the first annual 

“Manufacturer’s Conference,” 

which later becomes known as 

the “NACA Inspection.”

March 16, 1926

Robert Goddard launched the 

first liquid-fueled rocket.

U.S. Air Commerce Act becomes law - 1st U.S. legislation 

regulating civil aviation.

$0.23

Major Edward L. Hoffman for development of a practical parachute

1927

Theodore Theodorsen and 

W.C. Clay begin research on 

aircraft anti-icing.

June 22, 1927

The Propeller Research Tunnel 

(PRT) is completed. Its 20-footdiameter test section is the 

largest wind tunnel ever built 

at that point, and four times 

the size of the largest wind 

tunnel then at Langley. 

August 1, 1927

Destroyed by fire, the Variable 

Density Tunnel is immediately 

rebuilt (April 1928).

May 20-21, 1927

Charles A. Lindbergh flies first 

successful solo non-stop flight 

from New York to Paris.

Georges Lemaître proposes 

Big Bang Theory.

Joseph S. Ames, Johns Hopkins University

1927 - 1939

$0.21

Charles L. Lawrence for development 

of radial air-cooled aircraft engines

Charles Lindbergh

Wings

1928

NACA Cowling Wind Tunnel 

research began. This research 

led to a series of component 

drag studies that resulted in 

aircraft drag reduction, which 

increased aircraft speeds and 

range.

November 1928 

Based on experiments conducted in the new PRT, Fred 

Wieck produces Technical 

Note 301 on the NACA Cowling, which leads to the award 

of the Collier Trophy in 1929. 

Final volume of Oxford English 

Dictionary published after 44 

years of research.

Alexander Fleming discovers 

penicillin.

$0.21

Aeronautics Branch, Department of 

Commerce for development of airways and air navigation facilities

Walter Chrysler

Wings* - 1st Academy Awards 

combined 1927 and 1928 films

1929

1929–1934: Langley develops more than 100 new wing sections.

Construction began on 30x60 

full-scale wind tunnel. This 

wind tunnel allowed testing 

of actual aircraft, including 

manufacturing details that led 

to important “drag cleanup” 

improvements.

Hydrodynamics research on 

float planes and sea planes 

begins at Langley.

NACA receives its first Collier 

Trophy for the development of 

low-drag cowling for radial aircooled aircraft engines, which 

is universally known as the 

NACA Cowl.

September 24, 1929

James H. Doolittle demonstrates instrument flying by using only cockpit displays and 

radio aids during entire flight.

NACA publishes seminal studies on pressure distribution 

over wings based on PW-9 

flight test data. Researcher 

Richard Rhode’s formula for 

calculation becomes aviation 

industry standard. 

Edwin P. Hubble proposes 

theory of expanding universe. 

Great Depression 1929–1939

In U.S., stock market prices collapse, with U.S. securities losing $26 billion—

first phase of Depression and world economic crisis.

Herbert Hoover

March 4, 1929 - March 4, 1933

$0.21

National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics for development of cowling for 

radial air-cooled engines 

Owen D. Young

The Broadway Melody

1930

May 15, 1930

Langley staff now numbers 

more than 200. 

Summer 1930

Langley’s 7- by 10-Foot 

Atmospheric Wind Tunnel 

(AWT) begins operations. 

Research performed in the 

AWT produced an important 

knowledge base and essential 

design data relative not only 

to basic performance, but also 

to aircraft stability and control, 

power effects, flying qualities, 

aerodynamic loads, and highlift systems.

Pluto discovered by Clyde 

Tombaugh.

$0.20

Harold F. Pitcairn and his associates 

for development and application of 

the autogiro

Mahatma Gandhi

All Quiet on the Western Front

1931

May 27, 1931

The 30- by 60-Foot Full Scale 

Tunnel begins operations at 

Langley. Nearly every WWII 

high-performance military airplane would be tested there.

May 27, 1931

The Tow Tank opens for tests 

and would be enlarged six 

years later. 

Japanese occupy Manchuria.

$0.17

Packard Motor Car Company for 

development of the diesel aircraft 

engine

Pierre Laval

Cimarron

1932

Outgoing President Hoover 

signs an executive order in 

December 1932 abolishing the 

NACA. Congress reverses this 

and other changes in January 1933. The NACA begins 

a dramatic growth in budget, 

personnel and facilities under 

President Roosevelt’s New 

Deal.

May 20-21, 1932

Amelia Earhart becomes the 

first woman to fly solo across 

the Atlantic.

(shown here visiting LMAL)

$0.18

Glenn L. Martin for development of a 

high-speed weight-carrying airplane

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Grand Hotel

1933

May 4, 1933

Langley hosts the 8th Annual 

Aircraft Engineering Research 

Conference.

NACA Report 460, “The Characteristics of 78 Related Airfoil 

Sections from Tests in the 

Variable-Density Wind Tunnel,” 

the culmination of 10 years of 

research, was published. The 

report included a groundbreaking systematic study of airfoils 

and produced the airfoil numbering system of today.

Hitler appointed German 

chancellor.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

March 4, 1933 - April 12, 1945

$0.18

Hamilton Standard Propeller Company 

and Frank Walker Caldwell, Chief Engineer for controllable pitch propeller

Hugh Samuel Johnson

Cavalcade

1934

October 1934

Allowing research in the 

supersonic range, the 24-inch 

High Speed Tunnel is completed at Langley. The first 

Schlieren photography system 

is also installed.

Mao Tse Tung begins “Long 

March”

$0.19

Captain A. F. Hegenberger, U.S. Army 

Air Corps for development of a 

successful blind landing system

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

It Happened One Night

1935

By the end of WWII, the 23012 

Wing Section published by 

the NACA would be the most 

widely used wing section in 

the world.

Two seminal papers on aeroelastic flutter are published. 

Another NACA Technical Report coins the term “trim tab.”

NACA hires the first women 

to work as “computers” at 

Langley.

NACA researcher Eastman 

Jacobs presents a pathbreaking paper on compressibility at 

the Volta Congress in Italy.

Roosevelt opens second 

phase of New Deal in U.S., 

calling for social security, better housing, equitable taxation, 

and farm assistance.

$0.19

Donald W. Douglas and company 

personnel for creation of the DC-2 

twin-engine transport airplane

Haile Selassie

Mutiny on the Bounty

1936

March 3, 1936

The NACA Committee on Facilities is appointed. This group 

would eventually recommend 

the creation of two new NACA 

laboratories.

1936-1945

Thermal Ice Prevention Systems at NACA were created to 

investigate effective countermeasures to the problems of 

ice formation on aircraft.

Proving critical to NACA 

stability and control work, 

the world’s first facility of its 

kind – the 8-Foot High Speed 

Tunnel – becomes operational 

at Langley.

NACA European Representative John Ide sends alarming 

report on improvements in European aeronautical research 

facilities and activity. NACA 

Director of Research George 

Lewis travels to Europe later 

that year and notes particular 

threat of German research 

efforts.

Spanish Civil War begins. 

King George V of the UK dies, 

Edward VII abdicates, George 

VI becomes king.

$0.19

Pan American for regular trans-Pacific 

airline service and successful 

extended overwater navigation 

Wallis Simpson

The Great Ziegfeld

1937

Joseph Ames resigns from 

NACA after suffering a stroke 

in 1936.

Langley staff exceeds 400.

Bob Gilruth is hired at Langley, 

and later heads the Space 

Task Group, eventually becoming director of the Johnson 

Space Center.

May 6, 1937

The Hindenburg explodes during landing at Lakehurst, New 

Jersey, killing 36 people.

Amelia Earhart lost in the Pacific on round-the-world flight.

$0.20

U.S. Army Air Corps for developing, 

equipping and flying the first successful pressure cabin airplane, the XC-35

Chiang Kai-shek / Soong May-ling

The Life of Emile Zola

1938

Two-Dimensional Low Pressure Turbulence Tunnel 

construction begins; research 

in this tunnel leads to five new 

families of low-drag wings by 

1939.

The Committee on Facilities 

recommends enlargement of 

Langley; opening of a new lab 

on the West Coast; and more 

effective cooperation with 

industry.

Hap Arnold and Vannevar Bush 

become members of the main 

NACA Committee.

Orson Welles’s radio broadcast 

of the War of the Worlds.

$0.20

Howard Hughes and associates for a 

record-setting, around-the-world flight 

in 91 hours, 14 minutes 

Adolf Hitler

You Can’t Take It with You

1939

After Congressional approval 

in August, in September the 

decision is made to build the 

NACA Moffett Field Aeronautical Laboratory in California.

Smith DeFrance moves from 

Langley to become the Moffett 

Field director.

Review of the new West Coast 

laboratory decision identifies 

need for an NACA propulsion 

laboratory. Charles Lindbergh 

also “urgently recommend(s)” 

the same in an October report 

to the NACA.

June 28, 1939

Pan American Airways inaugurates trans-Atlantic passenger 

service.

The Free Flight Tunnel is 

completed.

Einstein writes FDR about feasibility of atomic bomb, urges 

U.S. research.

World War II: 1939–1945

Hap Arnold asks NACA to 

help in creating a 400 milesper-hour fighter plane. Drag 

cleanup testing at Langley 

begins and continues throughout WWII on virtually all U.S. 

military aircraft.

Vannevar Bush, Carnegie Institution

October 19, 1939 - August 1, 1941

$0.19

U.S. airlines for air safety and 

physician contributions to aviation 

medicine and pilot-fatigue research 

Joseph Stalin

Gone with the Wind

1940

1940–1944: NACA’s drag cleanup work improves the performance of more than 100 different models of WWII U.S. 

aircraft. One example: after tests and modifications, the P-40 Warhawk’s top speed increases from 330 mph to 360 mph. 

The Propulsion Lab proposal 

is approved in June; the facility will be located at the NACA 

Aircraft Engine Research 

Laboratory in Cleveland, Ohio.

April 18, 1940

Ames Aeronautical Laboratory 

in Moffett Field, California (later 

renamed NASA Ames Research 

Center), was formed.

Construction of the 40- by 

80-Foot Full Scale Tunnel is 

proposed for the Moffett Field 

Aeronautical Laboratory.

With Vannevar Bush as its 

chairman, President Franklin 

Roosevelt creates the National 

Research Advisory Committee (built on the NACA model) 

to coordinate defense-related 

research.

The first official network television broadcast by NBC.

$0.18

Dr. Sanford A. Moss and the Army 

Air Corps for development of the 

turbo-supercharger

Winston Churchill

Rebecca

1941

January 23, 1941

NACA Aircraft Engine Laboratory in Cleveland, Ohio, later 

named Lewis Research Center, 

currently NASA Glenn Research 

Center, was founded.

Two 16-Foot Tunnels are completed: one at Moffett Field 

and the other at Langley.

April 1941

NACA report, “Requirements 

for Satisfactory Flying Qualities 

of an Airplane,” by R.R. Gilruth, 

was published. This document 

defined a set of requirements 

for the handling characteristics 

of an aircraft. Up until this point, 

no set of guidelines for pilots 

and aircraft designers existed.

The NACA Standard Seal 

becomes the official insignia 

for the agency. 

The Low Turbulence Pressure 

Tunnel opens at Langley. Research there leads to Series 6 

wings, which become the standard low-drag wing design.

December 7, 1941

Pearl Harbor attacked, U.S. 

enters War.

Jerome C. Hunsaker, MIT

August 1, 1941 - October 1956

$0.19

The U.S. Army and U.S. airlines for 

air transportation vital to defense and 

wartime victory

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

How Green Was My Valley

1942

A second Tow Tank is added 

at Langley.

May 8, 1942

The first research tunnel is run 

at the Aircraft Engine Research 

Laboratory.

Enrico Fermi achieves nuclear 

chain reaction in Chicago.

$0.20

U.S. General H. H. Arnold for organization and leadership of the Army Air 

Force worldwide

Joseph Stalin

Mrs. Miniver

1943

The 9-Inch Supersonic Tunnel – 

the first continuous-flow supersonic tunnel – begins operation 

at Langley.

NACA hires the first African 

American women “computers.”

The Aircraft Engine Research 

Laboratory in Cleveland is 

formally dedicated. 

President Roosevelt freezes 

prices, salaries, and wages to 

prevent inflation.

$0.21

U.S. Navy Captain Luis De Florez for 

safe and rapid training of combat 

pilots and crews 

George Marshall

Casablanca

1944

June 1944

The Moffet Field Laboratory is 

renamed Ames Aeronautical 

Laboratory in honor of the late 

NACA Chairman. 

Ames 40x80 full-scale wind 

tunnel became operational. 

It allowed whole aircraft to 

be wind-tunnel-tested, as 

compared to models at low 

flight speeds, and expanded 

testing capabilities to larger 

and faster aircraft.

June 6, 1944

Allies invade Normandy on 

D-Day.

$0.21

U.S. Army General Carl A. Spaatz for 

demonstrating air power’s effectiveness in World War II 

Dwight Eisenhower

Going My Way

1945

Aircraft Engine Research 

Laboratory work begins on jet 

engines, pioneering the field 

of axial flow compressors. 

R.T. Jones develops his swept 

wing theory. 

After tremendous growth during WWII, NACA staff exceeds 

5,000.

Bob Gilruth is appointed head 

of the new Pilotless Aircraft 

Research Division, and establishes the Pilotless Aircraft 

Research Station at Wallops 

Island, Va. (now the NASA 

Wallops Flight Facility).

May 7, 1945

Germany surrenders.

August 6, 1945

First atomic bomb dropped, 

on Hiroshima, Japan.

August 9, 1945

Second atomic bomb dropped, 

on Nagasaki, Japan.

August 15, 1945

Japan surrenders.

Harry S. Truman

April 12, 1945 - January 20, 1953

$0.21

Dr. Luis W. Alvarez for contributions 

to safe aircraft landings under all 

weather and traffic conditions

Harry S. Truman

The Lost Weekend

1946

X-Plane Test Flights 

1946-1958: NACA 

research contributes 

significantly to important 

experimental X-series aircraft designs of the 1950s.

Walt Williams, then the NACA’s 

X-1 Project Engineer, is named 

Chief of the Muroc Flight Test 

Unit, a position he holds until 

1959.

September 1946

A small NACA team from Langley travel to the Mojave Desert 

at Muroc Army Airfield (now 

Edwards AFB) to support X-1 

supersonic research flights for 

the joint NACA-Army Air Force 

program, forming the basis for 

what today is NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center.

January 10, 1946

First meeting of UN General 

Assembly opens in London.

$0.21

Lewis A. Rodert for helping to develop 

and deploy a practical ice-prevention 

system for aircraft 

James F. Byrnes

The Best Years of Our Lives

1947

October 14, 1947

U.S. Air Force pilot Chuck Yeager becomes the first person to 

break the sound barrier, flying 

the Bell X-1, a research aircraft 

co-sponsored by the Air Force 

and the NACA. 

George Lewis steps down as 

NACA Director of Research for 

health reasons and is replaced 

by Hugh L. Dryden.

NACA publishes “Aerodynamic Problems of Guided Missiles,” the Committee’s first 

technical report on rocketry. 

September 7, 1947

NACA Muroc Flight Test Unit 

received permanent status 

from Hugh L. Dryden, NACA’s 

Director of Research. Numbered 27 people led by Walt 

Williams.

The Aircraft Engine Research 

Laboratory name is changed 

to the Flight Propulsion Laboratory.

August 20, 1947

D-558-1 establishes world 

speed record of 640.7 miles 

per hour.

November 25, 1947

Howard C. Lilly was first NACA 

pilot to fly jet-powered 

D-558-1 Skystreak.

National Security Act of 1947 

merges Army & Navy into Department of Defense, creates 

separate Air Force.

Hugh L. Dryden

1947 - September 30, 1958

$0.23

John Stack for pioneering research 

in supersonic flight and concepts for 

transonic research airplanes 

George Marshall

Gentleman’s Agreement

1948

March 10, 1948

Herb Hoover becomes the first 

NACA pilot and first civilian to 

fly supersonically in the X-1.

The Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory name is 

shortened to Langley Aeronautical Laboratory.

George Lewis dies. The Flight 

Propulsion Research Laboratory is renamed Lewis Flight 

Propulsion Research Laboratory in his honor.

February 1948

Communists seize power in 

Czechoslovakia.

Berlin Blockade:

June 1948 - May 1949

$0.26 

The Radio Technical Commission for 

Aeronautics for creation of an air 

navigation and traffic control system

Harry S. Truman

Hamlet

1949

National Unitary Wind Tunnel 

Act of 1949 enabled NACA to 

erect supersonic tunnels at each 

of its three research centers, 

with priority utilization reserved 

for industry testing. The new facilities proved their worth almost 

immediately with the discovery 

of the “Area Rule.”

November 14, 1949

NACA’s Muroc unit, with about 

100 people, designated NACA 

High-Speed Flight Research 

Station (HSFRS). Walt Williams 

was named Chief of the Station.

April 4, 1949

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) created —treaty 

signed by 12 nations.

August 29, 1949

First Soviet nuclear weapon 

test .

$0.27

William P. Lear for development of the 

F-5 automatic pilot and automatic 

approach control coupler system

Winston Churchill

All The King’s Men

1950

September 25, 1950

John Griffith was the first NACA 

pilot to fly the X-4 aircraft 

studying flying qualities of tailless vehicles.

1950-1960

Engineers at the Lewis laboratory pursued development 

of an axial flow compressor 

for jet engines that improved 

efficiency by an order of magnitude. This research became 

the basis of the modern high 

bypass jet turbofan.

Richard Whitcomb begins to 

use the slotted throat in the 

8-Foot High Speed Wind Tunnel at Langley to study airflow 

at transonic speeds, leading 

to development of the “area 

rule.”

January 31, 1950

Truman orders development of 

hydrogen bomb.

Korean War: June 2, 1950 - July 27, 1953

$0.27

U.S. military services and the helicopter industry for development and use 

of air-rescue rotary-wing aircraft

The American fighting-man

All About Eve

A development contract for 

the Atlas missile is awarded 

to Convair. NACA research 

on materials, blunt body 

concepts and mechanics of 

ballistic re-entry prove critical 

to U.S. missile programs.

The Slotted Throat Transonic 

Wind Tunnel became operational as a revolutionary step 

in the field of aerodynamics, 

demonstrating much less wall 

interference and providing 

reduced “choking” effects.

Julius & Ethel Rosenberg 

found guilty of treason for 

supplying US nuclear secrets 

to the Soviet Union.

$0.27

John Stack and associates for the creation, development and deployment of 

the transonic wind tunnel throat 

Mohammed Mossadegh

An American in Paris

1951

March 4, 1952

Joe Walker was first to fly 

variable sweep wing X-5 to 

full 60-degree angle. Concept 

used today on F-14, F-111, 

and B-1 aircraft.

The International Council of 

Scientific Unions proposes an 

International Geophysical Year 

for 1957-58, including a call 

for satellite launches. 

The NACA Aerodynamics 

Committee urges an increase 

in hypersonics research.

Variable sweep research 

began. A variation of the 

swept wing theory, the variable 

sweep wing mechanically 

adjusted to different sweep 

angles to conform to either 

subsonic or supersonic flight.

U.S. tests first thermonuclear 

(hydrogen) bomb.

$0.28

Leonard S. Hobbs of United Aircraft 

Corp for design, development, and 

production of the J-57 jet engine 

Elizabeth II

The Greatest Show on Earth

1952 1953

Julian Allen blunt body findings (allowing for safe reentry 

of objects from space) is published as a classified Research 

Memorandum.

NACA Report R1135, “Equations, Tables, and Charts for 

Compressible Flow,” a bible 

for compressible flow aerodynamics, was published.

The 8-Foot Transonic Pressure 

Tunnel opens at Langley and 

is used by Richard Whitcomb 

to develop the supercritical 

wing, winglets, and other 

breakthrough concepts. 

November 20, 1953

Scott Crossfield, in rocketpowered D-558-2 Skyrocket, 

was the first pilot to fly twice 

the speed of sound.

Soviet leader Stalin dies. 

Nikita Khrushchev becomes 1st 

Secretary of the Communist Party.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

January 20, 1953 - January 19, 1961

$0.29

James H. Kindelberger for the North 

American F-100 and Edward H. Heinemann for the Douglas F4D

Konrad Ardenauer

From Here to Eternity

1954

August 23, 1954

Joe Walker made first of 20 

NACA research flights in the 

X-3 “Flying Stiletto” supersonic 

program.

NACA Director Hugh Dryden 

convenes the Research 

Airplane Committee and persuades Air Force and Navy to 

fund a hypersonic research 

X-vehicle project that 

becomes the X-15.

NACA’s Pilotless Aircraft Research Division launches the 

first U.S. four-stage rocket. 

July 1, 1954

The High-Speed Flight 

Research Station name is 

shortened to High-Speed 

Flight Station.

Dr. Jonas Salk starts inoculating children against polio.

May 17, 1954

U.S. Supreme Court (in Brown 

v. Board of Education of Topeka) unanimously bans racial 

segregation in public schools.

$0.29

Richard T. Whitcomb for discovery 

and experimental verification of the 

area rule that led to practical jet flight 

Roger Bannister

John Foster Dulles

On the Waterfront

1955

The U.S. Air Force awards a 

contract to North American 

Aviation to build three X-15s.

The U.S. Navy’s Vanguard program is selected to develop a 

U.S. satellite for the International Geophysical Year. 

December 1, 1955

Rosa Parks refuses to sit at 

the back of the bus. Martin 

Luther King, Jr., leads black 

boycott of Montgomery, 

Alabama, bus system.

$0.29

William M. Allen and associates for 

conception, development and production of the Boeing B-52 stratofortress 

Johnny Podres

Harlow Curtice

Marty

1956

September 27, 1956

Air Force Capt. Milburn G. 

Apt flew the X-2 to Mach 3.2. 

Unfortunately, he subsequently 

lost control of the airplane 

and it crashed, killing him and 

destroying the vehicle.

The Pilotless Aircraft Research 

Division launches the first 

five-stage solid-fuel rocket that 

achieves a speed of Mach 15.

August 27, 1956

NACA research pilot Joe 

Walker made first NACA flight 

in an F-104A aircraft (the number seven F-104 aircraft off the 

assembly line).

A team of NACA experts are 

hired by General Electric. They 

prove instrumental in designing 

the company’s J-79 and other 

path-breaking jet engines. 

Soviet military forces put down 

anti-communist uprisings in 

Hungary.

Oct 29 – Nov 7, 1956

Suez Crisis: Israel, Britain 

and France invade Egypt to 

restore control over the Suez 

Canal and depose Pres. Abdel 

Nasser.

James H. Doolittle, Shell Oil

October 1956 - September 30, 1958

$0.30

Charles McCarthy, Vice Admiral James 

Russell and associates for design and 

development of the F-8U Crusader 

Bobby Joe Morrow

The Hungarian freedom fighter

Around the World in 80 Days

1957

Between 1954 and 1957, 

space- and rocket-related 

research at NACA grows from 

10% to 25% of all research.

March 26, 1957

High-Speed Flight Station 

research pilot Neil Armstrong 

ferried JF-100C Serial No. 

53-1712 to Davis-Monthan Air 

Force Base, AZ, for storage following the completion of inertial roll coupling flight research 

earlier that month.

October 4, 1957

Russians launch Sputnik, first 

artificial satellite—the Space 

Age begins.

November 3, 1957

Russians launch Sputnik II, 

2nd artificial satellite with the 

dog Laika aboard.

December 6, 1957

The Naval Research Laboratory’s Vanguard TV3 is the first 

rocket to attempt launch from 

U.S. soil. The effort fails as the 

vehicle explodes on its launch 

pad.

$0.31

Edward P. Curtis for a report 

representing a dramatic advance in 

long-range airspace planning

Stan Musial

Nikita Khrushchev

The Bridge on the River Kwai

1958

January 31, 1958 

Explorer 1 became the first 

satellite launched by the 

United States.

Bob Gilruth becomes director 

of the Space Task Group at 

Langley.

March 17, 1958 

The Vanguard I satellite was 

successfully launched into 

Earth orbit.

In an approach championed by 

engineer Max Faget, a NACA 

Ames meeting endorses the 

ballistic-capsule concept of 

human spaceflight. 

Nikita Khrushchev becomes 

Chairman of the Council of 

Ministers of the USSR.

Charles De Gaulle becomes 

President of the Council of 

Ministers in France.

$0.30

USAF and the industry team of 

Lockheed and General Electric for 

development of the F-104

Rafer Johnson

Charles De Gaulle

Gigi
1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Panoramic runway photo by: Tom Bozak

U.S. President

NASA Administrator

NACA Director

Price of Gas

Collier Trophy

Sports Illustrated 

Sportsperson of the Year

Time Magazine

Person of the Year

Academy Award

for Best Picture

NASA: SOLVING DECADES OF AVIATION CHALLENGES

1958

The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), 

founded in 1915, was soon to 

become the core of a new federal agency that took NACA’s 

mandate to “direct and conduct research and experimentation in aeronautics, with a 

view to their practical solution” 

and expanded it to the realm 

of space.

October 1, 1958

The National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration (NASA) 

was formed. The 1958 Space 

Act established NASA as the organization responsible for both 

aeronautics and astronautics.

November 6, 1958

Last flight of the Bell X-1E, the 

last of the X-1 series of aircraft. 

The X-1 was the first aircraft to 

exceed the speed of sound.

December 3, 1958

JPL transferred from the U.S. 

Army to NASA.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

January 20, 1953 – January 19, 1961

NACA Chairman, James H. Doolittle

1956 - September 30, 1958

Dr. T. Keith Glennan

October 1, 1958 – January 20, 1961

Hugh L. Dryden

1947 - September 30, 1958

$0.30

USAF and the industry team of 

Lockheed and General Electric for 

development of the F-104

Rafer Johnson

Charles de Gaulle

Gigi

1959

X-15 Program 1959–1969: A revolutionary aircraft, the X-15’s 199 test flights uncovered many “first’s” in high-speed, high-altitude research that were also later used in the 

space program such as high-temperature materials, reaction control systems, and full-pressure pilot suits.

June 8, 1959 

First flight of the hypersonic 

X-15, a planned glide flight to 

522 mph piloted by A. Scott 

Crossfield.

February 17, 1959

The United States launched 

Vanguard 2, an International 

Geophysical Year scientific 

satellite, from Cape Canaveral, 

FL. Vanguard produced the first 

photos of Earth from space.

March 3, 1959 

The United States sent Pioneer 

4 to the moon, successfully 

making the first U.S. lunar flyby.

$0.31

USAF and the Convair Div. of General 

Dynamics for creation and operation 

of the Atlas ICBM

Ingemar Johansson

Dwight Eisenhower

Ben-Hur

1960

March 25, 1960 First NASA X-15 research flight 

by pilot Joseph A. Walker.

April 1, 1960 

The United States launched 

TIROS 1, the first successful 

meteorological satellite, for 

monitoring Earth’s weather.

July 1, 1960

Marshall Space Flight Center 

opens. 

August 12, 1960

NASA successfully orbited Echo 

1, a 100-foot inflatable, passive 

communications satellite.

$0.31

Vice Adm. William F Raborn for 

directing creation of the Polaris fleet 

ballistic missile system

Arnold Palmer

U.S. Scientists

The Apartment

1961

March 7, 1961 First Mach 4 flight by pilot 

Robert M. White.

June 23, 1961 First Mach 5 flight by pilot 

Robert M. White.

November 9, 1961 First Mach 6 flight by pilot 

Robert M. White.

March 16, 1961 

Goddard is officially dedicated.

May 5, 1961

Alan Shepard became the first 

American to fly in space on 

the Freedom 7 suborbital flight 

from Cape Canaveral, FL. 

May 25, 1961

President John F. Kennedy 

committed the United States 

and NASA to landing on the 

moon by the end of the decade.

September 7, 1961

NASA announced plans to open 

MSFC Michoud Operations.

November 1, 1961

Johnson Space Center opens.

John F. Kennedy

January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963

James E. Webb

February 14, 1961 – October 7, 1968

$0.31

X-15 test pilots for invaluable technological contributions to the advancement of flight

Jerry Lucas

John F. Kennedy

West Side Story

1962

June 27, 1962 Pilot Joseph A. Walker flew 

the X-15 to an unofficial world 

speed record of 4,104 mph.

July 17, 1962 Pilot Robert M. White set a 

Fédération Aéronautique Internationale world altitude record 

of 314,750 ft. 

Runway Grooves

1962–1987 (approx.)

NASA developed a process for 

cutting transverse grooves into 

runways to help aircraft land 

safely on wet pavement. The 

process was adapted to U.S. 

highways and other types of 

wet surfaces.

February 20, 1962 

John Glenn became the first 

American to orbit Earth, making 

three orbits in his Friendship 7

Mercury spacecraft.

July 1, 1962 

Kennedy Space Center opens.

$0.31

The seven Mercury astronauts for pioneering manned American spaceflight

Terry Baker

Pope John XXIII

Lawrence of Arabia

1963

August 22, 1963 Highest X-15 flight (unofficial), 

354,200 ft (67+ miles) by 

Joseph A. Walker.

Lifting Body Vehicles Research Program

1963–1976: The program demonstrated the low speed 

entry and landing characteristics of vehicles that use 

body shape, rather than wings, to generate lift. 

March 1, 1963 M2-F1, first flight 

(ground tow)

August 16, 1963 M2-F1, first air tow

Lyndon B. Johnson

November 22, 1963 – January 19, 1969

$0.30

Clarence “Kelly” Johnson for designing and directing development of the 

Mach 3 Lockheed A-11

Pete Rozelle

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Tom Jones

1964

June 25, 1964

First flight of the X-15A-2.

October 30, 1964 

The first flight of the Lunar 

Landing Research Vehicle, the 

forerunner of the Lunar Lander 

that was used to train the 

astronauts for flying the Lunar 

Excursion Module, was flown 

at NASA Dryden by Joe Walker.

$0.30

Gen. Curtis LeMay for great achievements with respect to air vehicles and 

national defense

Ken Venturi

Lyndon B. Johnson

My Fair Lady

1965

October 21, 1965

M2-F1, last captive flight

June 3, 1965 

The second piloted Gemini 

mission, Gemini IV, stayed aloft 

for four days, and astronaut 

Ed White performed the first 

spacewalk by an American.

July 1, 1965 

Mississippi Test Facility opens 

(later renamed John C. Stennis 

Space Center).

December 15, 1965 

First rendezvous in space between Gemini 6-A and Gemini 7 

for five hours of station-keeping.

$0.31

The Gemini Program teams for 

significantly advancing the human 

spaceflight experience

Sandy Koufax

William Westmoreland

The Sound of Music

1966

July 12, 1966 NASA’s Milt Thompson made 

the first flight of the M2-F2, a 

heavyweight lifting body vehicle designed to demonstrate 

the handling characteristics of 

a spacecraft capable of landing on a runway.

August 16, 1966

M2-F1, last flight (air tow)

December 22, 1966 NASA’s Bruce A. Peterson 

piloted the HL-10 lifting body 

on its first glide flight. 

$0.32

James McDonnell for leadership and 

perseverance in advancing aeronautics and astronautics

Jim Ryun

The Generation Twenty-Five & Under

A Man for All Seasons

1967

October 3, 1967 An unofficial world speed record 

of Mach 6.7 (4,520 mph) was 

reached in a modified version of 

the X-15 by research pilot 

William “Pete” Knight. 

May 10, 1967 M2-F2, last flight

January 27, 1967 

During a simulation aboard 

an Apollo command module 

on the launch pad at Kennedy 

Space Center, a flash fire broke 

out, engulfing the capsule in 

flames. The three astronauts 

aboard—Gus Grissom, Ed 

White, and Roger Chaffee—

died of asphyxiation.

$0.33

Hughes Aircraft Surveyor Program 

team and the Jet Propulsion Lab for 

aiding lunar exploration

Carl Yastrzemski 

Lyndon B. Johnson

In the Heat of the Night

1968

October 24, 1968 NASA pilot William H. Dana 

ended an era by flying the 

final flight in the X-15 flight 

research program.

Runway Grooves

1968–1972

NASA teamed with the U.S. 

Air Force and FAA to conduct 

the first tests of pavement 

grooving using an F-4 fighter, 

a Convair 990 jet transport, 

and a Beech Queen Air 

twin-propeller aircraft.

October 23, 1968 First rocket-powered flight of 

the HL-10, flown by Air Force 

Major Jerauld R. Gentry.

December 21, 1968

Apollo 8 launched atop the 

Saturn V booster from Kennedy Space Center with three 

astronauts aboard–Frank 

Borman, James A. Lovell, Jr., 

and William A. Anders. On 

Christmas Eve, the crew read 

from the book of Genesis. 

$0.34

The Apollo 8 crew for flawless execution of the first manned lunar orbit

Bill Russell

The Apollo 8 Astronauts

Oliver!

1969

Wake Vortex Research

1969-1980

NASA conducted research and 

test flights on the dangerous 

wakes of turbulent air that trail 

behind every aircraft (wingtip vortices). Resulting data 

helped the Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA) establish 

safe separation distances between aircraft during takeoffs, 

landings and cruise flight. 

April 17, 1969 First X-24A glide flight, by pilot 

Jerauld R. Gentry.

May 9, 1969 NASA pilot John A. Manke made 

the first supersonic flight of a 

wingless lifting body when he 

reached a top speed of 744 mph. 

July 20, 1969

Apollo 11 became the first mission to land people on the moon. 

Astronauts Neil Armstrong 

and Buzz Aldrin walked on its 

surface while Michael Collins 

orbited overhead in the Apollo 

command module.

Richard M. Nixon

January 20, 1969 – August 9, 1974

Dr. Thomas O. Paine

March 21, 1969 – September 15, 1970

$0.35

Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin 

and Michael Collins for the epic flight 

of Apollo 11 

Tom Seaver

The Middle Americans

Midnight Cowboy

1970

March 3, 1970 

NASA researchers began flight 

tests of the triplesonic YF-12 

aircraft to investigate the 

effects of sustained highspeed flight.

February 18, 1970 First max speed of 1,228 mph on 

the HL-10

February 27, 1970 First max altitude of 90,303 ft. on 

the HL-10

June 2, 1970 First M2-F3 glide flight

July 17, 1970 HL-10, last flight

November 25, 1970

First M2-F3 powered flight

April 11-17, 1970

Fifty-six hours into the flight of 

Apollo 13, the oxygen tank in 

the service module ruptured 

and damaged several of the 

power, electrical, and life support systems. All crew members returned safely to Earth.

$0.36

Boeing, Pratt & Whitney and Pan 

American Airways for pioneering the 

Boeing 747

Bobby Orr 

Willy Brandt

Patton

1971

March 9, 1971 

NASA research pilot Thomas 

McMurtry completed the first 

flight of an F-8A modified with a 

new wing called the supercritical 

airfoil. Work on the airfoil design 

concept began in the 1960s 

under NASA chief scientist 

Richard Whitcomb.

June 4, 1971 X-24A, last flight

August 25, 1971 

First M2-F3 supersonic flight

July 26, 1971 

Apollo 15 made the first use 

of a Lunar Roving Vehicle on 

the moon.

Dr. James C. Fletcher

April 27, 1971 – May 1, 1977

$0.36

The Apollo 15 crew and NASA’s 

Robert Gilruth for most ambitious 

science lunar mission

Lee Trevino

Richard Nixon

The French Connection

1972

April 1972

NASA published fundamental 

papers introducing the concept of 4-dimensional trajectories (three spatial dimensions 

plus time), which today are a 

basis for air traffic guidance in 

the NextGen.

Advanced Supersonic Technology (AST)/Supersonic Cruise Research (SCR) Project 1972–1982: This research 

effort tackled the technical and environmental challenges of making a viable, advanced commercial supersonic transport. The 

program resulted in technology of value to the subsonic transport industry such as new aerodynamic design modeling tools.

May 25, 1972

NASA research pilot Gary 

Krier flew an F-8C modified with 

an all-electric, digital fly-by-wire 

(DFBW) control system, a prototype of the flight control system 

used today on some aircraft and 

on the space shuttle. 

December 20, 1972

M2-F3, last flight

December 7-19, 1972

Apollo 17 was the last of the six 

Apollo missions to the moon. 

The astronaut crew included 

Eugene A. Cernan, Ronald A. 

Evans and Dr. Harrison H. Jack 

Schmitt, a geologist. 

$0.36

The personnel of the 7th and 8th Air 

Forces and Task Force 77 during 

Operation Linebacker II

Billie Jean King / John Wooden 

Henry Kissinger / Richard Nixon 

The Godfather

1973

November 1, 1973 

First flight of supercritical wing 

on F-III variable sweep wing 

aircraft.

August 1, 1973 First X-24B glide flight

November 15, 1973 First X-24B powered flight

May 14, 1973

Skylab, an orbital space platform, was launched. Skylab 

became home to three crews 

during 1973–74 for periods of 

28, 59 and 84 days.

$0.39

NASA’s Skylab Program, with recognition to director William Schneider and 

its three astronaut crews

Jackie Stewart 

John Sirica

The Sting

1974

Quiet Short-Haul Research Aircraft (QSRA) Project 1974-1981: 

Developed and demonstrated technologies necessary to support short-takeoff and landing (STOL), 

and high-lift cargo aircraft. These technologies were employed on the C-17 Globemaster III.

June 7, 1974 

First flight of the NASA Boeing 737 Transport Systems 

Research Vehicle, which 

conducted thousands of flight 

hours of research for more 

than 20 different projects from 

wind shear detection to noise 

studies to runway friction.

March 5, 1974 First X-24B supersonic flight

October 25, 1974 Fastest lifting body flight (Mach 

1.76, 1164 mph) in an X-24B

Gerald R. Ford

August 9, 1974 – January 19, 1977

$0.53

John Clark (NASA) and Daniel Fink 

for the Earth Resources Technology 

Satellite Program (LANDSAT)

Muhammad Ali

King Faisal

The Godfather Part II

1975

November 26, 1975 

X-24B, last flight for the Lifting 

Body Vehicles Research Program

July 15–24, 1975

At the height of the Cold War, 

the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project 

became the first joint international human space flight effort. 

August 20, 1975

Viking 1 was launched from 

Kennedy Space Center toward 

Mars. It landed on the red 

planet on July 20, 1976. 

$0.57

General Dynamics and the USAF F-16 

team for advancements leading to 

effective fighter aircraft 

Pete Rose

American Women

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

1976

The Aircraft Energy Efficiency (ACEE) Program 1975–1986: This program stimulated wide application of lighter and more durable composite materials to secondary and primary structures on civil aircraft.

Advanced Turboprop Project 1976-1987: After the energy crisis of the early ‘70s, NASA initiated research into a unique “swirled” design for propellers used on propeller-powered aircraft to reduce noise and increase fuel efficiency.

Energy Efficient Engines Project 1976–1984: Managed at NASA’s Glenn Research Center, this project proved that a 15 percent reduction in fuel consumption could be made relative to the best commercial 

aircraft engines in service at the time. Research enabled industry’s development of the more fuel-efficient high-bypass GE90 turbofan jet engine, which powers the intercontinental Boeing 777. 

XV-15 Tilt Rotor

October 22, 1976

After decades of research 

and wind tunnel testing into 

technologies to make vertical 

takeoff and landing (VTOL) 

possible, NASA and Bell 

Aircraft rolled out the experimental XV-15 tilt rotor aircraft. 

Successful flights of the XV-15 

led to Department of Defense 

approval in 1986 to produce 

the V-22 Osprey.

$0.61

USAF, the B-1 Industry Team and 

Rockwell Intl. Corp. for B-1 bomber 

design and development

Chris Evert

Jimmy Carter

Rocky

1977

May 3, 1977

First hover and low-speed 

flight of the XV-15.

August 12, 1977 

First free flight of Enterprise

Jimmy Carter

January 20, 1977 – January 19,1981

Dr. Robert A. Frosch

June 21, 1977 – January 20, 1981

$0.67

Gen. Robert Dixon and the USAF 

TAC for developing and implementing 

flight-training programs 

Steve Cauthen

Anwar Sadat

Annie Hall

1978

Storm Hazards Program 1978–1986: This program conducted extensive research and flight tests to identify conditions that cause lightning strikes. 

Results informed new design guidelines used in aircraft and flight operations to protect critical digital systems.

July 6, 1978 First flight of QSRA at Boeing 

Field, Seattle, WA.

September 28, 1978 

Last NASA YF-12 research 

flight before returning aircraft 

to U.S. Air Force.

$0.63

Williams Research Corp. for concept 

and development of a turbofan to 

power cruise missiles

Jack Nicklaus

Deng Xiaoping

The Deer Hunter

1979

Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology (HIMAT) 1979–1983: HiMAT was installed for the first time on an unpiloted subscale flight test 

vehicle to validate use on future fighter aircraft. HiMAT’s extensive use of composites, winglets and canards was adapted for other aircraft.

July 27, 1979 The HiMAT remotely piloted vehicle completed its first flight.

July 24, 1979

First full in-flight conversion 

from helicopter-to-airplane 

mode with the XV-15.

Oblique Wing Program 1979–1982: The wing of this unique research aircraft could be pivoted up to 60 degrees to 

the fuselage to decrease drag and increase speed and range. The AD-1 was flown 79 times to evaluate the pivot-wing 

concept and collect data on handling qualities.

December 21, 1979 

First flight of the AD-1

July 24, 1979 Research pilot Thomas 

McMurty flew a KC-135A Stratotanker jet outfitted with winglets, proving that the vertical 

tips on the ends of the wings 

reduced drag and improved 

the aircraft’s range. 

$0.90

Paul MacCready and pilot Bryan Allen 

for design, construction and flight of 

the Gossamer Condor

Terry Bradshaw / Willie Stargell

Ayatollah Khomeini

Kramer vs. Kramer

1980

July 10, 1980 QSRA began sea carrier trials 

on the USS Kitty Hawk without 

catapult launch or landing 

arresting gear.

$1.25

NASA’s Voyager Mission team for a 

spectacular fly-by of and return from 

Saturn

U.S. Olympic Hockey Team

Ronald Reagan

Ordinary People

1981

Forward Swept Wing Research 1981-1990: The X-29 test vehicle demonstrated 

forward swept wing technology and provided data on aeroelastic tailoring, active 

controls, and canard effects.

June 12, 1981

First operational flight of the 

Lockheed ER-2 high-altitude 

aircraft used for atmospheric 

research, observation and 

mapping missions.

April 12, 1981 

Astronauts John W. Young 

and Robert L. Crippen flew 

Space Shuttle Columbia

on the first flight of the 

Space Transportation 

System (STS-1).

Ronald Reagan

January 20, 1981 – January 19, 1989

James M. Beggs

July 10, 1981 – December 4, 1985

$1.38

NASA, Rockwell, Martin Marietta, 

Thiokol and the Space Shuttle 

Columbia crew

Sugar Ray Leonard

Lech Walesa

Chariots of Fire

1982

May 11, 1982 First supersonic flight of 

HiMAT, Aircraft Number 1. 

August 7, 1982 

AD-1, last flight

$1.30

T. A. Wilson and Boeing Co. for development of the 757 and 767 airliners

Wayne Gretzky

The Computer

Gandhi

1983

January 11, 1983 Last of 26 flights made of the 

HiMat test vehicle.

December 6, 1983

Ribbon-cutting ceremonies 

were held for the new National 

Transonic Facility (NTF), the 

first NASA wind tunnel 

equipped for scale model testing in actual flight conditions.

April 4-9, 1983

On STS-6, F. Story Musgrave and Donald H. Peterson conducted the first 

shuttle spacewalk to test 

new spacesuits and work in 

the cargo bay. 

June 18-24, 1983

Sally K. Ride became the 

first American woman to 

fly in space when STS-7 

lifted off on June 18, 1983, 

another early milestone of 

the shuttle program. 

$1.24

The Army and Hughes 

Helicopters Inc. for development of 

AH-64A Apache helicopter weapons 

Mary Decker

Ronald Reagan / Yuri Andropov

Terms of Endearment

1984

December 14, 1984 The X-29 took its first test flight.

1984

Riblets, or small V-shaped 

grooves, were discovered 

to reduce aerodynamic 

drag. This technology has 

been used on many aircraft and sailing vessels.

December 1, 1984

NASA and the FAA conducted 

the Controlled Impact Demonstration using a remotelycontrolled Boeing 720 aircraft 

to test an anti-misting fuel for 

suppressing post-crash fire.

$1.21

NASA and Martin Marietta for development of manned maneuvering units 

to rescue satellites

Ed Moses / Mary Lou Retton

Peter Ueberroth

Amadeus

1985

Mission Adaptive Wing (MAW) 1985–1989: The MAW, built by the Boeing Company, had a flexible outer skin that 

could be adjusted in-flight using an internal mechanism to attain ideal aerodynamic shapes for subsonic through supersonic speeds. It was tested by NASA and the U.S. Air Force through the Advanced Fighter Technology Integration program.

October 18, 1985 

The MAW was first tested on 

an F-111.

$1.20

Russell Meyer and Cessna Aircraft for 

the outstanding safety record of the 

Citation fleet

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 

Deng Xiaoping

Out of Africa

1986

Center/TRACON Automation System (CTAS) 

1986-1990: NASA foundational papers on trajectory 

optimization led to development of a system of software 

tools to improve traffic flow and fuel efficiency. 

Airborne Wind Shear Detection Program 1986–1993: This program developed the first 

onboard sensor system that can give pilots advance warning of dangerous wind shear conditions. 

Laminar Flow Control Project 1986–1994: Research on active flow control over all speed regimes was developed to produce laminar flow over 65 percent of the wing of the aircraft, generating less drag and promoting better fuel efficiency.

X-30 National AeroSpace Plane (NASP) Program 1986–1994: Conceived to develop operational space planes, this program never advanced beyond its technology development period, but produced advanced technologies in materials, propulsion and other fields.

January 28, 1986

During the 25th launch of 

the space shuttle, an explosion occurred 73 seconds 

into the flight of Space 

Shuttle Challenger. All 

seven crew members died.

Dr. James C. Fletcher

May 12, 1986 – April 8, 1989

$0.93

Jeana Yeager, Richard Rutan, Elbert 

Rutan, Bruce Evans and associates 

for the Voyager aircraft 

Joe Paterno 

Corazon Aquino 

Platoon

1987

F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV) 1987-1996: The HARV was developed to validate computer codes 

and wind tunnel test results relating to high angle of attack aerodynamics, flight controls and airflow phenomena.

$0.95

NASA Lewis Research Center for 

design and development of advanced 

turboprop propulsion concepts

‘Eight Athletes Who Care’

Mikhail Gorbachev

The Last Emperor

1988

July 13, 1988 NASA researchers convinced 

FAA to approve access to live 

radar data.

December 8, 1988 X-29-1 completed its flight research program with flight number 242. 

Advanced Composite Technology Program 1988–1997: This research program focused on how to use textile composite materials, from design through fabrication, on wing and fuselage primary structures 

for commercial or military aircraft. A key ACT contribution was the validation of braided or stitched composite structures as cost-effective, low-weight, high-durability options.

$0.95

Rear Adm. Richard Truly for outstanding leadership rejuvenating the U.S. 

manned space program

Orel Hershiser 

Endangered Earth

Rain Man

1989

Propulsion Controlled 

Aircraft (PCA) 

1989-1998

NASA developed a computer-assisted engine control system to 

allow pilots to land aircraft even after losing primary flight controls. 

By adjusting the thrust from each engine to go up, down, left or 

right, engines-only landings were flown on NASA research aircraft 

and on actual transport aircraft.

May 4, 1989

The Magellan mission to 

Venus was launched. It arrived at Venus in September 1990 and, using radar, 

mapped 99 percent of the 

planet’s surface.

George H.W. Bush

January 20, 1989 – January 19, 1993

Richard H. Truly

May 14, 1989 – March 31, 1992

$1.02

Ben Rich and the Lockheed-Air Force 

team, for production of the F-117A 

Stealth Nighthawk bomber

Greg LeMond 

Mikhail Gorbachev

Driving Miss Daisy

1990

High Speed Research (HSR) Program 1990-1999: Interest in a supersonic transport had been renewed, and Phase I of HSR focused 

on the three key challenges to a High-Speed Civil Transport (HSCT): the sonic boom, airport and community noise, and ozone depletion.

April 1990 “CTAS” became the official 

name and the system began 

using live data from FAA air 

traffic control centers. 

April 24, 1990

Launch of the Hubble Space 

Telescope from the Space 

Shuttle Columbia (STS-31).

$1.16

Bell-Boeing team for development of 

the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft

Joe Montana 

George H. W. Bush 

Dances with Wolves

1991

1991-1992

NASA flew 130 flights through dangerous weather to test the 

forward-looking Doppler radar.

July 15, 1991

Research pilot Edward Schneider flew the F/A-18 High Alpha 

Research Vehicle (HARV) with 

thrust vectoring paddles for 

the first time to demonstrate 

improved agility.

$1.14

USAF, Northrop and the Industry Team 

for B-2 design, development, production and flight testing

Michael Jordan

Ted Turner

The Silence of the Lambs

1992

Advanced Subsonic Technology (AST) Program 1992–1999: Led research into areas most likely to improve U.S. civil transport aircraft, including aircraft aging, noise reduction, environmental impact, 

productivity of the airport terminal area, propulsion, wing design, use of composite materials and improved flight controls. This work continues to inform aeronautics research at NASA.

Daniel S. Goldin

April 1, 1992 – November 17, 2001

$1.13

USAF, USNRL, the Aerospace Corp., 

Rockwell and IBM for Global Positioning System development

Arthur Ashe 

Bill Clinton

Unforgiven

1993

The Advanced Control Technology for Integrated Vehicles (ACTIVE) Program

1993–2006: A joint NASA, U.S. Air Force, McDonnell Douglas Aerospace, and Pratt & 

Whitney effort to evaluate thrust vectoring engine nozzles for improved high-angle of attack 

control and maneuverability, and to explore integrated intelligent flight control systems.

Low Visibility 

Landing and Surface 

Operations Project

1993-2000

Research created early concepts for GPS-based airport 

map displays now on the 

Airbus A380 and for head-up 

guidance cockpit displays to 

improve safety.

William J. Clinton

January 20, 1993 – January 19, 2001

$1.11

Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Repair 

Team for successful HST orbital 

recovery and repair

Don Shula 

The Peacemakers

Schindler’s List

1994

Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) Project

1994–2003: Pioneering research on high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft. 

November 30, 1994

A Continental Airlines Boeing 

737-300 was the first commercial flight to use the forwardlooking Doppler radar to detect 

wind shear.

Sonic Boom Reduction 1994–2000: Improvements in the configuration of aircraft to reduce sonic boom intensity were formulated in a sonic boom study. 

$1.11

McDonnell Douglas, USAF and the 

Industry Team, for C-17 Globemaster 

creation and production 

Bonnie Blair / John Olav Koss

Pope John Paul II

Forrest Gump

1995

1995: Phase II of the HSR program began to assess technologies to improve the economic competitiveness of a High-Speed 

Civil Transport, including weight reduction, advanced control systems, flight deck instrumentation, and displays.

September 11, 1995 Pathfinder Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) set a new altitude 

record of 50,567 feet for a solar-powered aircraft.

Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Technology 1995–2008: NASA supported a public/

private partnership to test and deploy new airborne surveillance and cockpit avionics technology that complements 

radar; provides air-to-air, air-to-ground, and ground-to-air functionality; improves safety and increases airport capacity.

June 27-July 7, 1995

Space Shuttle Atlantis

docked to the Mir space station. It was the first of nine 

shuttle-Mir link-ups between 

1995 and 1998.

$1.15 

Boeing Commercial Aircraft Co. for 

design, development and production 

of the Boeing 777 

Cal Ripken, Jr. 

Newt Gingrich

Braveheart

1996

April 24, 1996 The F-15 ACTIVE achieved its 

supersonic yaw vectoring flight 

at Dryden Flight Research 

Center, Edwards, CA.

July 1996

The Traffic Management 

Advisor, a NASA CTAS software tool for controlling arriving air traffic, was deployed at 

Dallas/Ft. Worth International 

Airport and later at more FAA 

en-route facilities.

$1.23

Cessna Aircraft Co. for design, 

development and production of the 

Citation X

Tiger Woods

David Ho

The English Patient

1997

July 7, 1997 Pathfinder UAV set an unofficial 

altitude record of 71,500 feet for 

a solar-powered aircraft.

May 17, 1997

The X-36 subscale prototype 

tailless fighter made the first 

of 31 test flights, showing a 

high-speed vehicle without a 

tail could fly normally.

July 4, 1997

The Mars Pathfinder landed on 

Mars and deployed the Sojourner 

rover. This mission marked the 

first return of the U.S. to Mars 

after nearly twenty years.

October 15, 1997

Launch of Cassini.

$1.23

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. for 

design, development and production 

of the Gulfstream V

Dean Smith

Andy Grove

Titanic

1998

August 6, 1998 The modified, extended-wing 

Pathfinder Plus flew to a 

record altitude for propellerdriven aircraft of 80,201 feet.

October 24, 1998

Deep Space 1 mission 

launched from Cape Canaveral 

with first primary ion engine 

system.

October 29, 1998

John Glenn returned to 

space on the Space Shuttle 

Discovery (STS-95). He was 

a test subject for specific 

investigations on the similarities between space flight 

and aging.

$1.06

Lockheed Martin, General Electric, 

NASA, USAF and DIA for U-2S/ER-2 

development and operation

Mark McGwire / Sammy Sosa

Bill Clinton / Kenneth Starr

Shakespeare in Love

1999

FutureFlight Central 1999–Ongoing: 

A full-scale airport operations simulator.

Capstone Program 1999-2006 This FAA-led program was the proving ground for ADS-B technology and its ability to reduce accidents among the thousands of general aviation pilots in the Alaska region who fly remote routes. 

NASA supported installation of Global Positioning System (GPS)-based avionics and data link communications suites in commercial aircraft, along with ground systems, equipment and services. 

Ultra-Efficient Engine Technology (UEET) Program October 1, 1999–2004: In light of future aviation growth, NASA created UEET to research ways to reduce 

nitric oxide and carbon dioxide emissions from commercial and military jet engines while maintaining performance and fuel efficiency. Multiple engine demonstrations and 

new computer simulation tools were among the beneficial results from UEET.

Intelligent Flight Control Systems (IFCS) 1999–2008: Neural network technology for aircraft control was invented to help aircraft recover from loss of control.

Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments (AGATE) Program

1994-2001: Under the AST, AGATE revitalized the general aviation industry through an 

alliance of government agencies, industry and universities that dramatically updated 

flight deck and propulsion technologies, certification methods and airspace infrastructure 

for small aircraft.

July 22-27, 1999

The Space Shuttle Columbia’s

26th flight was led by Air 

Force Col. Eileen Collins, the 

first woman to command a 

shuttle mission (STS – 93).

$1.17

Boeing Co. for development of the 

F/A-18E/F Super Hornet 

U.S. Women’s Soccer Team

Jeffrey P. Bezos

American Beauty

2000

October 2000 

NASA and the FAA tested an 

early version of the Runway 

Incursion Prevention System, 

which alerts pilots and air traffic 

controllers to planes or other 

vehicles about to encroach on 

runways.

October 31, 2000

Expedition One of the International Space Station launched 

from Baikonur Cosmodrome in 

Kazakhstan. Astronaut William 

M. Shepherd and cosmonauts 

Yuri Pavolich Gidzenko and 

Sergi K. Kirkalev became the 

first residents of the ISS.

$1.51

Northrop Grumman, Rolls-Royce, 

Raytheon, L-3, USAF and DARPA for 

Global Hawk creation and operation

Tiger Woods

George W. Bush

Gladiator

2001

August 13, 2001

The Helios uncrewed solarpowered UAV flew to world 

record altitude of 96,863 feet.

George W. Bush

January 20, 2001 – January 19, 2009

$1.46

The Joint Strike Fighter Program 

Office and industry partners for the 

Integrated LiftFan Propulsion System

Randy Johnson / Curt Schilling 

Rudolph Giuliani

A Beautiful Mind

Sean O’Keefe

December 21, 2001 – February 11, 2005

2002

X-43A Program 2002–2004: The X-43A airplane 

used innovative scramjet technology to fly at ten 

times the speed of sound, setting a world’s record 

for air-breathing aircraft.

November 15, 2002

The Active Aeroelastic Wing 

F-18A was first flown to 

explore how aerodynamically 

twisting flexible wings could 

improve maneuverability of 

high-performance aircraft 

at transonic and supersonic 

speeds.

$1.36

Sikorsky and industry team for development and introduction into service 

of the S-92 helicopter

Lance Armstrong 

The Whistleblowers

Chicago

2003

June 2003

NASA’s Performance Data 

Analysis and Reporting System 

was recognized for helping air 

traffic control centers improve 

safety and efficiency through 

customized reports.

June 26, 2003

Helios crashes after malfunction

August 27, 2003

The F-5 Shaped Sonic Boom 

Demonstration research 

aircraft proved its modified 

forward section reduced the 

intensity of sonic booms.

September 2003

NASA’s Surface Management 

System software, which helps 

manage air traffic from gate 

to gate, was demonstrated at 

Memphis International Airport.

February 1, 2003

All crew members died 

after the Space Shuttle 

Columbia broke up 15 

minutes before landing.

$ 1.59

Gulfstream for setting new safety 

standards with development of the 

innovative G550 aircraft

Tim Duncan / David Robinson 

The American Soldier

The Lord of the Rings: 

The Return of the King

2004

March 27, 2004

X-43A set a new aeronautical 

speed record of Mach 6.83–

nearly 5,000 mph.

November 16, 2004

A second unpiloted flight of 

the X-43A resulted in a second 

speed record of Mach 9.68–

nearly 7,000 mph.

January 2004

Twenty-one more test flights 

of the modified F-5E were 

conducted under the project 

now renamed “Shaped Sonic 

Boom Experiment.”

Sept – Nov 2004

NASA flight-tested a version of 

Synthetic Visions Systems that 

uses GPS signals and computer-based terrain models to 

create a 3-D image of objects 

outside the cockpit, improving 

flight safety in low visibility.

January 3 and 24, 2004

NASA landed two Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, on the surface of Mars.

$1.88

The Rutan SpaceShipOne Team for 

the first privately financed, built and 

flown space vehicle

Boston Red Sox 

George W. Bush

Million Dollar Baby

2005

April 2005

The effects of sonic booms on 

structures and humans on the 

ground were measured using 

microphone arrays to capture 

sound from aircraft flying at 

low altitudes.

June 5-7, 2005

The Small Aircraft Transportation System project held 

a public demonstration to 

showcase future technologies 

like “Highway in the Sky” that 

could help small planes better 

utilize small airports in all kinds 

of weather.

2005

ADS-B began deployment at 

air facilities from Florida to 

New York.

November 2005

A three-week series of flight 

tests with the Boeing Company 

and other partners proved that 

scalloped or asymmetrical 

chevrons on jet engine nozzles 

or casings reduce noise inside 

and outside the aircraft.

July 26, 2005

The Space Shuttle 

Discovery lifted off into 

orbit, marking NASA’s 

return to human spaceflight 

after the Columbia disaster.

Dr. Michael Griffin

April 14, 2005 – January 20, 2009

$2.30

Eclipse Aviation Corp. for development and operation of the very light 

jet the Eclipse 500

Tom Brady 

The Good Samaritans

Crash

2006

February 2006

Test flights of an F-15 proved that a flight control system built 

on an artificial neural network can help pilots retain control of 

their aircraft during destabilizing conditions.

August 2006

The Future Air Traffic Management Concepts Evaluation Tool 

(FACET) won NASA Software 

of the Year. FACET simulates 

thousands of aircraft trajectories and assists air traffic control managers plan for efficient 

travel flow across the country.

August 10, 2006

NASA and Gulfstream Aerospace tested a telescopic 

“Quiet Spike” sonic boom 

mitigator on a NASA F-15B 

aircraft and proved it reduced 

the intensity of sonic booms 

caused by supersonic aircraft.

December 2006– 

April 2007

NASA’s 8-Foot High-Temperature tunnel hosted testing of 

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne’s 

X-1 scramjet engine, a major 

technology step toward making hypersonic flight (> Mach 

5.0) a reality.

January 19, 2006

The New Horizons spacecraft lifted off from Cape 

Canaveral, beginning its 

nine-year trip toward Pluto 

and the Kuiper Belt.

$2.59

USAF and its industry partners for 

design, test and operation of the 

revolutionary F-22 Raptor

Dwyane Wade

You

The Departed

2007

April 26, 2007

First test flight of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared 

Astronomy (SOFIA), a Boeing 

747 carrying an infrared telescope to capture images and 

spectra not possible by the largest ground-based telescopes.

X-48 Flight Tests 

2007–2013:

July 20, 2007

The first test flight of the 21-foot 

wingspan X-48B Blended Wing 

Body research aircraft took 

place at NASA’s Dryden Flight 

Research Center.

2007

Over 300 aircraft in Alaska received ADS-B to help air traffic 

separation efforts.

June 6–7, 2007

NASA’s MESSENGER (Mercury, 

Surface, Space Environment, 

Geochemistry and Ranging) 

probe flew by Venus on its 

way to encountering Mercury 

in 2008.

$2.80

The Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) team of 

public and private sector groups 

Brett Favre 

Vladimir Putin

No Country for Old Men

2008

February 2008

A broken fan blade was used to 

test the strength and durability of a jet engine containment 

case made of lighter, composite 

material versus metal.

February 12, 2008

NASA wind tunnel tests help 

Speedo International create its 

most hydrodynamically advanced 

swimsuit design to date.

May 21, 2008

The X-48B hybrid wing body 

enters the second phase of 

flight tests.

March 2008

A NASA wind tunnel hosted 

tests of the Smart Material 

Actuated Rotor Technology 

(SMART)—new trailing edge 

control flaps and “smart” material actuators that can reduce 

helicopter vibrations and noise.

May 25, 2008

The Phoenix Mars Lander 

lands safely in the Martian 

north pole to begin three 

months of exploration.

$3.27

Commercial Aviation Safety Team for 

an 83% fatalities decrease and no 

airliner deaths for two years running 

Michael Phelps

Barack Obama

Slumdog Millionaire

2009

January 22, 2009

Test flights conclude on 

measurement of shock-wave 

formation to provide data to 

help in the design of quieter 

supersonic aircraft.

January 28, 2009

A series of tests measure the 

performance and emissions 

of two synthetic fuels derived 

from coal and natural gas.

July-August 2009

NASA conducts wind tunnel 

testing of the X-48C hybrid 

wing body to assess noise–reduction modifications.

August 17, 2009

The Inflatable Re-entry Vehicle 

Experiment – IRVE – launches 

from NASA’s Wallops Flight 

Facility on Virginia’s Eastern 

Shore.

March 6, 2009

NASA launches the Kepler 

space telescope on a threeand-a-half-year mission to 

seek signs of other Earth-like 

planets.

October 28, 2009

NASA’s Ares I-X next-generation rocket successfully 

completes its first suborbital 

test flight.

Barack Obama

January 20, 2009 – present

Maj. Gen. Charles F. Bolden

July 17, 2009 – present

$2.35

NASA and industry partners for 

International Space Station design, 

development and assembly

Derek Jeter

Ben Bernanke

The Hurt Locker

2010

March 11, 2010

NASA evaluates an MD-500 

helicopter’s deployable energy 

absorber for its ability to prevent injuries from crashes.

May 3, 2010

NASA tests open-rotor technology, a new approach in the 

design of jet engines.

February 11, 2010

The X-48B is modified into the 

X-48C configuration in preparation for NASA wind tunnel tests.

April 6, 2010

The 80th and final Phase 1 test 

flight of the X-48B hybrid wing 

body concludes.

May 28, 2010

An engine first validated in a 

NASA wind tunnel fires successfully during the longest 

supersonic combustion ramjetpowered hypersonic flight to 

date of the U.S. Air Force’s 

X-51A vehicle.

October 26, 2010

NASA software finds the most 

fuel-efficient path along an 

airplane’s intended route.

$2.79

Sikorsky Aircraft for a 250-knot 

helicopter that sets new standards for 

speed, maneuverability and utility

Drew Brees

Mark Zuckerberg

The King’s Speech

2011

April 22, 2011

Researchers at NASA’s Dryden 

Flight Research Center conduct on-ground performance 

and emissions tests of renewable aviation biofuel made from 

chicken and beef tallow.

May 27, 2011

NASA’s uses former military 

jets to make super-loud sonic 

booms to help create noisequieting designs for future 

commercial supersonic craft.

August 17, 2011

Researchers begin study the 

phenomenon of engine core 

ice accretion, which can cause 

aircraft power loss.

December 1, 2011

The Waveforms and Sonic 

boom Perception and Response project, or WSPR, 

gathers data from 100-plus 

volunteers on the effects of 

low-noise sonic booms.

July 21, 2011

NASA’s Space Shuttle 

Program ends with the 

final flight and landing of 

the shuttle Atlantis.

$3.53

The Boeing Company for notable advance in design, construction, delivery 

and support of the 787 Dreamliner

Mike Krzyzewski / Pat Summitt

The Protester

The Artist

2012

February 1, 2012

NASA transfers innovative 

aircraft descent software to the 

Federal Aviation Administration.

March 23, 2012

NASA flight tests ADS-B 

airplane tracking technology 

on the Ikhana MQ-9 unmanned 

aircraft.

May 10, 2012

As part of a program to 

advance hypersonic flight, a 

team that includes NASA and 

the U.S. Air Force successfully launches an experimental 

scramjet engine on a sounding 

rocket from Kauai, Hawaii.

August 15, 2012

The transformed X-48C hybrid 

wing body takes to the California skies for final flight tests.

October 30, 2012

The X-48 hybrid wing body aircraft makes its 100th flight.

June 22, 2012

Smartphone technology is 

validated as flight tests of a 

miniature, automatic, groundcollision avoidance system 

conclude.

May 22, 2012

The SpaceX Dragon space 

capsule becomes the first 

non-government spacecraft 

launched to the International 

Space Station.

August 6, 2012

The Mars Science Laboratory 

and Curiosity rover land successfully on the Red Planet.

$3.64

NASA/JPL for landing Curiosity Rover 

on Mars and advancing national technology and engineering capabilities

LeBron James

Barack Obama

Argo

2013

ACCESS Test Flights

February-March 2013

During a series of test flights 

for the Alternative Fuel Effects 

on Contrails and Cruise Emissions (ACCESS) study, NASA 

researchers assess the effects 

of biofuels on aircraft engine 

performance, emissions and 

contrails.

April 18, 2013

Research involving the X-48 

hybrid wing body technology 

demonstrator concludes after a 

total of 122 test flights.

April 24, 2013

NASA studies ways to prevent 

insect remains from sticking to 

aircraft wings.

June 14, 2013

NASA communications experts 

begin flight tests of a prototype 

radio system for unmanned 

aircraft.

November 4, 2013

Tests conclude on a Boeing 

757 vertical tail in tests of 

active flow control technology that could one day reduce 

aircraft drag and weight.

November 18, 2013

NASA launches the Mars 

Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution – MAVEN – spacecraft to 

study the Martian atmosphere. 

$3.53

Northrop Grumman/the U.S. Navy 

for the first UAS vehicle to operate 

successfully from an aircraft carrier 

Peyton Manning

Pope Francis

12 Years a Slave

2014

May 7, 2014

Phase 2 of NASA’s Alternative 

Fuel Effects on Contrails and 

Cruise Emissions – ACCESS 

II – begins. ACCESS II data 

may aid in the development 

of cleaner aircraft fuels. Data 

showed a 50% reduction in 

soot emissions when using 

blended biofuel. 

July 14, 2014

NASA-developed Terminal 

Sequencing and Spacing software to help controllers manage ground traffic in airports is 

formally transferred to the Federal Aviation Administration. 

Sept-Oct 2014

NASA conducts tests of 

advanced aircraft-spacing 

software on a Boeing 787 

ecoDemonstrator aircraft.

October 1, 2014

A former Marine helicopter is 

the centerpiece of the Transport Rotorcraft Airframe Crash 

Testbed full-scale crash test.

November 6, 2014

NASA reaches a milestone 

in its Adaptive Compliant 

Trailing Edge (ACTE) project 

as revolutionary experimental flaps are flown on NASA’s 

G-III research aircraft for the 

first time. Researchers believe 

wing surfaces that can change 

shape in flight will make future 

airliners quieter and more fuelefficient.

January 9, 2014

NASA commercial partner 

Orbital Sciences Corporation 

launches its Cygnus cargo 

spacecraft aboard the Antares 

rocket for its first official commercial International Space 

Station resupply mission.

December 5, 2014 

The Exploration Flight Test 

1 carrying the Orion MultiPurpose Crew Vehicle launches 

from Cape Canaveral on a twoorbit unmanned test flight.

$3.36

tbd

Madison Bumgarner

Ebola fighters

Birdman

2015

January 2015

At NASA Langley Research 

Center tests begin of a 

Boeing-manufactured 

composite-materials panel, 

part of a possible center fuselage section of a future hybrid 

wing body aircraft.

March 3, 2015

100th Anniversary of the 

NACA’s founding.

U.S. President

NASA Administrator

Price of Gas

Collier Trophy

Sports Illustrated 

Sportsperson of the Year

Time Magazine

Person of the Year

Academy Award

for Best Picture