Dryden Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do you have drawings of airplanes?
2. How can I get photos of aircraft?
3. How can I gain access to NASA technical reports?
4. How can I understand the principles of flight
5. Where can I find out what year the Wright Brothers first flew or some other piece of aviation history?
6. Where can I get video footage of aircraft in flight?
7. Where can I get information about flight research being conducted at Dryden Flight Research Center?
8. Where can I get information about the Space Shuttle? Does it still land at Dryden?
9. How do I schedule a tour of the Dryden Flight Research Center?
10. How can I obtain model kits for the aircraft flown at Dryden?
1. Do you have drawings of airplanes?
On-line source: World Wide Web search under "air museums."
Custom sets of many drawings are available from:
Archives Division, MRC 322
National Air and Space Museum
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC 20560
Prices for individual aircraft drawings range from $2.00 to $15.00 plus $5-10.00 postage.
The NASA Dryden Flight Research Center does not normally have such drawings available, but frequently the manufacturer of the aircraft will have at least drawings of its recent models. The address of the manufacturer can be found in such sources as the World Aviation Directory, which is available in many libraries.
Many manufacturers have their own home pages on the Web with information and addresses. Do a Web search under the name of the manufacturer, such as: "Lockheed," "Northrop-Grumman," "Boeing."
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2. How can I get photos of aircraft?
On-line source: The Dryden Home Page of the World Wide Web, Research Aircraft Photo Gallery
Media representatives can also call 661-276-3449 for available Dryden photos.
To order hard copies of NASA photos, call 301-286-7763 for information about how to place your order. Black and white 8 X 10 prints cost $8.00 each.
Many NASA, Air Force, and other aircraft photos are available through the Smithsonian Institution. Call 202-357-1933 for information about how to order. Black and white 8 X 10 photos cost $15.00.
A search of the Web under "air museums" will also reveal other sources for airplane photos.
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3. How can I gain access to NASA technical reports?
On-line sources: Dryden Technical Report Server and the NASA Technical Report Server
Another source of technical information is the NASA Scientific and Technical Information Program, telephone number: 301-621-0390.
Write for information to:
NASA STI Help Desk
NASA Center for AeroSpace Information
7115 Standard Drive
Hanover, MD 21076-1320
Web site: http://www.sti.nasa.gov
E-mail: help@sti.nasa.gov
Telephone: 301-621-0390
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4. How can I understand the principles of flight or obtain other technical information about topics such as how paint schemes or colors affect aircraft, what aeroelastic tailoring is, or what a boundary layer consists of?
On-line source: Other Aeronautics Education on the Dryden Home Page
In addition, reference libraries will have various technical encyclopedias that will explain technical terms, acronym and technical dictionaries that serve a similar purpose, and general encyclopedias that explain at least the basic principles of flight.
A good reference librarian can lead you to still other sources as well.
In library catalogs and computers, search under such key words as: "flight, principles of" "aircraft, paint schemes" "fluid dynamics" "boundary layer"
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5. Where can I find out what year the Wright Brothers first flew, when Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier, or some other piece of aviation history?
On-line source: History Home Page segment of the Dryden Home Page
Richard Hallion's On the Frontier, a history of the Dryden Flight Research Center from 1946 to 1981
Other publications include Testing the Lifting Bodies at Edwards, and Hugh L. Dryden's Career in Aviation and Space. Other publications will be available in the near future on the History Home Page.
A Web search under "aviation history" will reveal other electronic sources of information.
Again, a good librarian can provide a great deal of information not yet available electronically.
Key words for a library search include: "Wright, Orville and Wilbur" "aviation history" "flight, history of" "airplanes, history of"
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6. Where can I get video footage of aircraft in flight?
On-line source: Flight Research Aircraft Movie Server on the Dryden Home Page.
Some NASA videos are available for purchase through:
NASA STI Help Desk
NASA Center for AeroSpace Information
7115 Standard Drive
Hanover, MD 21076-1320
Web site: http://www.sti.nasa.gov
E-mail: help@sti.nasa.gov
Telephone: 301-621-0390
Media can call 661-276-3449 for information on Dryden videos.
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7. Where can I get information about current flight research being conducted at Dryden Flight Research Center?
On-line sources: Flight Research Projects on the Dryden Home Page of the World Wide Web
Public Affairs Office and elsewhere on the Dryden Home Page.
Media can call 661-276-3449 for the latest developments.
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8. Where can I get information about the Space Shuttle? Does it still land at Dryden?
On-line source: NASA Space Shuttle Launches
Since 1993, all scheduled landings of the Shuttle have occurred at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, but occasionally, when the weather at Kennedy precludes landings there, unscheduled landings will still take place at Dryden. Normally, the decision to land at Dryden is not made early enough for people from any large metropolitan area to get to the Shuttle viewing area on Rosamond Blvd. at Edwards AFB in time to view the landing.
Media representatives who wish to cover a possible landing at Edwards must fax requests for credentials to 661-276-3566 the day before a potential landing and then arrive at the Dryden External Affairs trailer outside the Dryden gate on Lilly Drive more than two hours ahead of the first possible landing.
The public can call 661-276-3520 for Shuttle information, while the media line is 661-276-2564.
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9. How do I schedule a tour of the Dryden Flight Research Center?
Please see Dryden Tours
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10. How can I obtain model kits for the aircraft flown at Dryden?
On-line source: Searching the Web under "model airplane."
NASA Frequently Asked Questions
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Note: For other types of questions, a creative use of the World Wide Web and consultation with a librarian will do wonders. There are lots of catalogs and other reference works that provide great storehouses of information to those willing to invest a little time and effort.
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