Documented ER-2 Altitude
Sets World Record
A NASA
ER-2 AIRCRAFT RECENTLY SET A NEW world altitude record for medium-weight
aircraft by reaching 68,700 feet, almost twice the cruising altitude
of most airliners, during an airborne science mission. The purpose
of the mission was to measure different components in the atmosphere,
such as water, ozone and other atmospheric particles.
This was not the first time the ER-2 has achieved such a high
altitude, but it is the first time the ER-2's performance has been
documented and made public. The ER-2, tail number 806, based at
Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, and a close
relative of the U.S. Air Force U-2, routinely operates between 65,000
and 70,000 feet.
The new record set by the ER-2 surpassed the old record of 62,500
feet, which was flown by a Canadian P-42 aircraft in 1988. The record
was for the aircraft medium-weight class of 26,455 to 35,274 pounds
at takeoff.
An official from the National Aeronautics Association, the organization
responsible for the coordination and certification of all aviation
records in the United States, observed the record-setting event.
A formal certification will be processed with Federal Aeronautique
Internationale, an international organization responsible for the
coordination of competition and certification of all world aviation
records.
Two ER-2 aircraft are owned and operated by NASA for its Airborne
Science Program. Built by the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, the aircraft
collect information about our surroundings, including Earth resources,
celestial observations, atmospheric chemistry and dynamics, and
oceanic processes. The aircraft also are used for electronic sensor
research and development, satellite calibration and satellite data
validation.
The NASA ER-2 recently concluded a six-week hurricane study originating
from Patrick Air Force Base in Florida. The study was designed to
improve scientists' ability to forecast, track and measure the intensity
of hurricanes, collecting valuable information that could ultimately
save lives and money.
The ER-2 can reach an altitude of 65,000 feet within 20 minutes,
depending on aircraft weight. A normal six-hour mission is approximately
2,500 miles at 470 miles per hour, yielding about five hours of
high-altitude data. Missions of more than eight hours and 3,400
miles are possible for the aircraft. Maximum payload is 2,600 pounds.
NASA acquired its first ER-2 aircraft in 1981 and then a second
in 1989, replacing two Lockheed U-2 aircraft used by NASA since
1971. NASA has used these aircraft to collect science data during
more than 4,000 data missions and test flights in support of scientific
research conducted by scientists from NASA, other government agencies,
universities and the private sector. The U-2s, and later the ER-2s,
were based at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California,
until 1997, when the ER-2s and their operations moved to Dryden.
For more information, contact Larry Montoya at Dryden Flight Research
Center.
Call: 805/258-2775, E-mail: Larry.Montoya@dfrc.nasa.gov
Please mention you read about it in Innovation.
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The NASA ER-2 aircraft, tail number 806,
was officially documented as cruising almost twice the altitude (68,700 feet) of most airliners.
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