NASA’s DC-8 aircraft performed a wild maneuver on its last flight before being retired.
The DC-8 was described by the space agency as a “flying science laboratory.”
However, that doesn’t mean it was all work and I couldn’t show off a little before signing.
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The DC-8 aircraft takes a trip over the Bay Area
The DC-8 has been in service for 37 years, conducting airborne scientific missions, and is now being brought to Idaho.
For its final flight in May 2024, the aircraft took off from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, and landed in Pocatello, Idaho, according to NBC.
The university, currently located in Idaho, will remain in its state location.
On its last trip, the DC-8 made a very low flyby.
It sank to the ground and maintained a constant distance from the earth.
Proving that it was in no way inferior to any aircraft, the DC-8 gently rose back into the sky.
It is certainly a beautiful maneuver, but the DC-8 faces strong competition from the Airbus A380, which regularly amazes spectators.
Decades in the service of science
Before its decommissioning, the DC-8 was used to collect data for experiments.
The aircraft was used by researchers from a variety of backgrounds, from federal and state government employees to academics and foreign nationals.
According to NASA’s website, the aircraft was used for scientific experiments and collected data for research in the fields of ecology, geography, meteorology and biology, to name a few.
It is a four-engine aircraft built in 1969 and acquired by NASA in 1985.
It can fly for up to 12 hours at altitudes between 1,000 and 42,000 feet, although most scientific missions do not last that long.
With a wingspan of 148 feet and a length of 157 feet, it can carry up to 30,000 pounds of equipment and 45 researchers.
NASA’s foray into the world of aircraft is a long-term project.
At the beginning of the year they developed a passenger aircraft that was supposed to be faster than a Concorde.
But we will have to wait and see.
# Tags – Airplanes, Latest Articles
