Armstrong Flight Research Center

On Sept. 30, 1946, five National Advisory Committee of Aeronautics (NACA) engineers arrived at Muroc Army Airfield in California’s high desert to achieve supersonic flight for the first time. In less than two years, NACA flew the X-1 aircraft faster than the speed of sound, marking an important milestone in aviation history. Fast forward 80 […]

Posted September 28, 2026

People of Armstrong

Aeronautics

Armstrong Flight Research Center

Flight Innovation

People of NASA

Passion Meets Precision at NASA’s Flight Research Lab

Long before they helped shape NASA’s future aerospace breakthroughs, Derek Abramson, Justin Hall, and Justin Link were in their garages and homes building radio‑controlled aircraft, testing new ideas, and flying their creations at hobby events.

Posted September 17, 2026

General

Aeronautics

Armstrong Flight Research Center

Glenn Research Center

NASA Aircraft

NASA History

NASA Glenn’s Legacy Forged Through Decades of Flight Research

Many of NASA’s most important aerospace breakthroughs that began in the laboratory were ultimately proven in the sky. For decades, experts at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland conducted flight tests — piloting aircraft into targeted environments such as icing clouds and carefully defined atmospheric routes.

Posted August 18, 2026

Aeronautics

Armstrong Flight Research Center

Artemis

Johnson Space Center

NASA Aircraft

NASA’s 737 Reveals New Paint

NASA’s 737 aircraft was painted this week in Oklahoma as it progresses with modifications for use as a reduced gravity test aircraft for the agency.

Posted August 13, 2026

Armstrong Flight Research Center

Advanced Air Vehicles Program

Aeronautics

Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate

Langley Research Center

Subsonic Flight Demonstrator

Subsonic Vehicle Technologies and Tools

NASA Pushes New Wing Design to Find Structural Limits

NASA researchers recently put a new wing design, appearing long and thin with a lightweight structural design, through a series of grueling tests to find its structural limits. What they found left them encouraged about the wing’s potential, even when they pushed it past its intended limits.

Posted July 18, 2026

Armstrong Flight Research Center

Aeronautics

Flight Innovation

NASA Uses Subscale Aircraft to Accelerate Flight Innovation

Testing new aerospace concepts in flight remains one of NASA’s most effective ways to advance knowledge and reduce risk.

Posted July 16, 2026

Aeronautics

Armstrong Flight Research Center

Flight Innovation

NASA Aircraft

NASA Jets Turn Red, White, and Blue

In honor of America’s 250th birthday, two of NASA’s most iconic aircraft got a fresh coat of red, white, and blue paint ahead of a flyover in Washington on July 4, 2026, with other NASA aircraft. An F-15 and an F/A-18 from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, recently were repainted in […]

Posted July 14, 2026

Armstrong Flight Research Center

Aeronautics

Drones & You

Flight Innovation

NASA Study Points to Smoother Air Taxi Rides

No one wants to get into an uncomfortable aircraft. NASA research could help the emerging industry of air taxis —small, vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft meant for short trips — understand the relationship between comfort and willingness to fly. That’s where NASA comes in, with data that can help identify how to plan air taxi rides that can […]

Posted July 14, 2026

Aeronautics

Armstrong Flight Research Center

Flight Innovation

NASA Aircraft

NASA Photographer Captures Images from F-18 Over Washington

NASA flight photographers capture history from a perspective few ever experience, getting a rare bird’s-eye view of the agency’s missions in action. Their photos document key NASA research and give the public a front-row seat to the work happening behind the scenes.

Posted July 10, 2026

Armstrong Flight Research Center

Aeronautics

Flight Innovation

NASA Aircraft

Supersonic Flight

A Day of Flight Testing at NASA Armstrong

Flight testing is a team sport. For nearly 80 years, teams at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, have used flight testing to push the limits of aerodynamics and advance aviation.

Posted June 30, 2026