![]() The SR-71 was used in a program to study ways of reducing sonic booms or over pressures that are heard on the ground, much like sharp thunderclaps, when an aircraft exceeds the speed of sound. This operating environment makes these aircraft excellent platforms to carry out research and experiments in a variety of areas - aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, thermal protection materials, high-speed and high-temperature instrumentation, atmospheric studies, and sonic boom characterization. For thermal experiments, this can produce heat soak temperatures of over 600 degrees Fahrenheit (F). ![]() As research platforms, the aircraft can cruise at Mach 3 for more than one hour. They were transferred to NASA after the U.S. The aircraft, an SR-71A and an SR-71B pilot trainer aircraft, have been based here at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. Two SR-71 aircraft have been used by NASA as testbeds for high-speed and high-altitude aeronautical research. One of the "A" models was later returned the Air Force for active duty. This operating environment makes the aircraft excellent platforms to carry out research and experiments in aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, thermal protection materials, atmospheric studies, and sonic boom characterization. The three former reconnaissance aircraft, two SR-71 "A" models and one "B" model, can fly more than 2200 mph and at altitudes of over 80,000 feet. Air Force for high-speed, high-altitude research line the ramp at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The original trio of SR-71 "Blackbirds" loaned to NASA by the U.S.
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