Pilot Bill Dana looks up as the B-52 "mothership" cruises over NASA's HL-10 "lifting body" on Muroc Dry Lake, California, in 1969. Lifting bodies were wingless vehicles that flew because of the lift generated by the aircraft's body. The research proved future spacecraft could land like an airplane, helping pave the way for the space shuttle.
Pilot Bill Dana looks up as the B-52 “mothership” cruises over NASA’s HL-10 “lifting body” on Muroc Dry Lake, California, in 1969. Lifting bodies were wingless vehicles that flew because of the lift generated by the aircraft’s body. The research proved that future spacecraft could land like an airplane, helping to pave the way for the development of the space shuttle.
Photo Credit: NASA/Dryden Flight Research Center