 In November 1988 the United States Air Force and the Postal Service officials held a ceremony at AEDC to mark the first day of national sale for the Postal Services' new 65-cent stamp honoring General Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold. The stamp was dedicated November 5 at Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, General Arnold's birthplace. Designed by Christopher Calle, a frequent contributor of U.S. stamp art, the blue head-and-shoulders portrait shows General Arnold with a characteristic easygoing smile. Visible on the tabs of his shirt collar are the five stars signifying his rank of five-star general. "H.H. 'Hap' Arnold" is printed vertically along the left edge of the stamp; "USA" and "65" are printed horizontally along the bottom. The 65-cent denomination represents the rate for a three-ounce First-Class Mail piece (25 cents for the first ounce, 20 cents for each additional ounce).
The J-6 solid propellant rocket test facility was constructed with 80,000 yards of concrete, 8,200 tons of reinforcing steel, 9 million feet (1,750 miles) of cabling, 150,000 electrical terminals and three construction cranes (maximum capacity of 150 tons.) Construction was completed July 1993.
Thermal vacuum tests conducted in AEDC's Space Environmental Chamber Mark 1 in 2000 validated the performance of the Geostationary Operational Environmental satellite (GOES-M) launched July 23 at the Kennedy Space Center. In 2000, AEDC employees set a new test duration record of 45 days, 22 hours, and 10 minutes as they validated the GOES-M performance in simulated orbital conditions including cryogenic and solar temperatures under vacuum conditions. Built by Space Systems/Loral, the 3,400-pound GOES-M is the nation's first satellite capable of detecting solar storms. At geostationary orbit around 22,300 miles above the earth, a special Solar X-Ray Imager monitors and records images of solar flares.
In August 1964 a full-scale F-111 jet fighter inlet and a TF30-P-1 turbofan engine test was conducted in AEDC's 16-foot supersonic wind tunnel. |
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Historical Information 
