NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free speaks on stage following the unveiling of the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft at a January 12, 2024 event at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

Scientists Ryan Boyd (left) and Vladislav Sevostianov (right) attend to the Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS) instrument on the exterior the DC-8 aircraft at Building 703 in Palmdale, CA.
The DC-8 aircraft is prepared for its last mission, ASIA-AQ (Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality), that will collect detailed air quality data over several locations in Asia to improve the understanding of local air quality in collaboration with local scientists, air quality agencies, and government partners

NASA’s structures lead for the X-59, Dr. Walt Silva, poses in front of the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft at a January 12, 2024 event at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

Cynthia Bixby and Lydia Hantsche hold the Progress Pride Flag at a flag-raising ceremony in recognition and celebration of LGBTQI+ Pride Month, Tuesday, June 4, 2024, at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.

NASA test pilots Nils Larson (left) and Jim “Clue” Less (right) pose with the newly-painted X-59 as it sits on the ramp at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

NASA test pilot Nils Larson poses with the newly-painted X-59 as it sits on the ramp at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

From left, Wayne Ringelberg, chief pilot at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, is welcomed by Michael Thomson, director of NASA Armstrong’s Science Mission Directorate, and Kirsten Boogaard, NASA’s DC-8 project manager, after the DC-8 aircraft and crew return to NASA Armstrong’s Building 703 in Palmdale, California, on April 1, 2024, following the aircraft’s final mission in support of the Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality (ASIA-AQ).

X-57 Maxwell principal investigator, Sean Clarke, talks about the innovative contributions the X-57 research team made to the electric propulsion community during a knowledge sharing event at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.

Attendees gather next to the X-57 Maxwell aircraft during a knowledge sharing meeting at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California looking at a display of the battery assembly that normally sits inside the aircraft.

Justin Link, left, pilot for small uncrewed aircraft systems, and Justin Hall, chief pilot for small uncrewed aircraft systems, install weather instruments on NASA’s Alta X drone at the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Members of the center’s Dale Reed Subscale Flight Research Laboratory used the Alta X to support the agency’s FireSense project in March 2025 for a prescribed burn in Geneva State Forest, which is about 100 miles south of Montgomery, Alabama.

Cathy Bahm, Low Boom Flight Demonstrator project manager at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, presents a look at how the X-59 aircraft team addresses safety. Bahm manages the effort to design, build, and test the X-59 aircraft, which will use quiet supersonic technologies to fly over communities as part of NASA’s Quesst mission.

Curt Hanson, senior flight controls researcher for the Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology project based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, explains the study about to begin to NASA employee and test subject Naomi Torres on Oct. 23, 2024. Behind them is the air taxi passenger ride quality simulator in NASA Armstrong’s Ride Quality Laboratory. Studies continue to better understand passenger comfort for future air taxi rides.

An atmospheric probe model attached upside down to a quad rotor remotely piloted aircraft ascends with the Moon visible on Oct. 22, 2024. The quad rotor aircraft released the probe above Rogers Dry Lake, a flight area adjacent NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The probe was designed and built at the center.

Eric Garza, an engineering technician in the Experimental Fabrication Shop at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, observes a wood router cut holes for temporary floorboards on Aug. 26, 2024. The flooring was designed for the X-66 experimental demonstrator aircraft. 

Brad Flick, center director at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, talks to students from California State University, Northridge, California. As part of the university’s Autonomy Research Center for science, technology, engineering, entrepreneurship, arts, humanities, and mathematics, the students displayed posters and answered questions about their technologies May 23 at the Air Force Test Pilot School auditorium on Edwards Air Force Base, California.

The DROID 2 (Dryden Remotely Operated Integrated Drone 2) aircraft flies by the former space shuttle hangar at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, as part of the Advanced Exploration of Reliable Operation at Low Altitudes: Meteorology, Simulation, and Technology campaign. The focus was to study wind to provide data for safe takeoff and landing of future air taxis.

Cathy Bahm, Low Boom Flight Demonstrator project manager at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, presents a look at how the X-59 aircraft team addresses safety. Bahm manages the effort to design, build, and test the X-59 aircraft, which will use quiet supersonic technologies to fly over communities as part of NASA’s Quesst mission.

John Bodylski holds a balsa wood model of his proposed aircraft that could be an atmospheric probe. Directly in front of him is a fully assembled version of the aircraft and a large section of a second prototype at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft is unveiled at a January 12, 2024 event at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

The Quesst mission recently completed testing of operations and equipment to be used in recording the sonic thumps of the X-59. Researchers used three weather towers and a sonic anemometer to collect weather and atmospheric data while recording sonic booms generated by an F-15 and an F-18 from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center.

John Melton, Justin Hall, Derek Abramson, Justin Link, and Robert "Red" Jensen were key on mission day for the Advanced Exploration of Reliable Operation at Low Altitudes: Meteorology, Simulation, and Technology campaign. The DROID 2 (Dryden Remotely Operated Integrated Drone 2) aircraft supported the campaign at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The focus was to study wind to provide data for safe takeoff and landing of future air taxis.

The X-59 simulator at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, will help pilots prepare for Quesst missions. Quesst is NASA's mission to demonstrate how the X-59 can fly supersonic without generating loud sonic booms and then survey what people hear when it flies overhead.

NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy speaks on stage prior to the official unveiling of the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft at a January 12, 2024 event at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits on the ramp at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California during sunrise, shortly after completion of painting. With its unique design, including a 38-foot-long nose, the X-59 was built to demonstrate the ability to fly supersonic, or faster than the speed of sound, while reducing the typically loud sonic boom produced by aircraft at such speeds to a quieter sonic “thump”. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits on the ramp at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California during sunrise, shortly after completion of painting. With its unique design, including a 38-foot-long nose, the X-59 was built to demonstrate the ability to fly supersonic, or faster than the speed of sound, while reducing the typically loud sonic boom produced by aircraft at such speeds to a quieter sonic “thump”. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

NASA's F-15B Aeronautics Research Test Bed performs a calibration flight of the shock-sensing probe over Edwards, California, on Aug. 6, 2024. The probe will measure shock waves from NASA's X-59.

Students are wrapped in a cloud from a demonstration by NASA’s California Office of STEM Engagement event with Center of Science and Industry at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.

NASA test pilot Jim “Clue” Less poses with the newly-painted X-59 as it sits on the ramp at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

An engineering technician works in the Experimental Fabrication Branch at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Thursday, March 14, 2023. The branch transforms engineering concepts into hardware for research aircraft and technology development, supporting advances in aviation safety, efficiency, and sustainability.

NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, flew the B200 King Air in support of the Signals of Opportunity Synthetic Aperture Radar (SoOpSAR) campaign on Feb. 27, 2023.

NASA’s project manager for the Low Boom Flight Demonstrator project, Cathy Bahm, poses in front of the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft at a January 12, 2024 event at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits on the ramp at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California during sunrise, shortly after completion of painting. With its unique design, including a 38-foot-long nose, the X-59 was built to demonstrate the ability to fly supersonic, or faster than the speed of sound, while reducing the typically loud sonic boom produced by aircraft at such speeds to a quieter sonic “thump”. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

Justin Hall assembles parts of a cradle for a rotorcraft that will air launch a proposed atmospheric probe in summer 2024 at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Hall is a designer, technician, and pilot at the center’s Dale Reed Subscale Flight Research Laboratory.

Researchers test a 10-foot Mock Truss-Braced Wing at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. From left, ground vibration test director Ben Park, Natalie Spivey, and Samson Truong, prepare for a vibration test. The aircraft concept involves a wing braced on an aircraft using diagonal struts that also add lift and could result in significantly improved aerodynamics.

NASA and Lockheed Martin test pilots inspect the painted X-59 as it sits on the ramp at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy speaks on stage immediately following the unveiling of the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft at a January 12, 2024 event at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

NASA pilot Kurt Blankenship maps out flight plans during a pre-flight brief. Pilots, crew, and researchers from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California and NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland are briefed on the flight plan to gather Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast signal data between the aircraft and ping-Stations on the ground at NASA Armstrong. These flights are the first cross-center research activity with the Pilatus-PC-12 at NASA Armstrong.

NASA test pilots Nils Larson (left) and Jim “Clue” Less (right), and Lockheed Martin test pilot Dan “Dog” Canin pose with the newly-painted X-59 as it sits on the ramp at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

Francisco Rodriguez (aircraft mechanic) services liquid oxygen or LOX on the ER-2 during the Geological Earth Mapping Experiment (GEMx) research project. Experts like Rodriguez sustain a high standard of safety on airborne science aircraft like the ER-2 and science missions like GEMx. The ER-2 is based out of NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.

The DROID 2 (Dryden Remotely Operated Integrated Drone 2) prepares to land at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, as part of the Advanced Exploration of Reliable Operation at Low Altitudes: Meteorology, Simulation, and Technology campaign. The focus was to study wind to provide data for safe takeoff and landing of future air taxis.

U.S. Air Force Corrosion Control Facility personnel Kristian Snoots and Shelby Youngo remove masking from NASA 862, which is an F/A-18D based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The corrosion control facility is located on Edwards Air Force Base and is also known as the Paint Barn.

Eric Garza, an engineering technician in the Experimental Fabrication Shop at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, cuts plywood to size for temporary floorboards for the X-66 experimental demonstrator aircraft on Aug. 26, 2024.

An atmospheric probe model attached upside down to a quad rotor remotely piloted aircraft ascends with the Moon visible on Oct. 22, 2024. The quad rotor aircraft released the probe above Rogers Dry Lake, a flight area adjacent NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The probe was designed and built at the center.

Justin Link, pilot for small uncrewed aircraft systems, installs weather instruments on NASA’s Alta X drone at the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Members of the center’s Dale Reed Subscale Flight Research Laboratory used the Alta X to support the agency’s FireSense project in March 2025 for a prescribed burn in Geneva State Forest, which is about 100 miles south of Montgomery, Alabama.

Isac Mata, engineering technician at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, attends to the interior of the DC-8 aircraft at Building 703 in Palmdale, CA. The DC-8 aircraft is prepared for its last mission, ASIA-AQ (Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality), that will collect detailed air quality data over several locations in Asia to improve the understanding of local air quality in collaboration with local scientists, air quality agencies, and government partners

A milling machine drills holes in the strut frame assembly for a 10-foot model of the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, in Edwards, California. The aircraft concept involves a wing braced on an aircraft using diagonal struts that also add lift and could result in significantly improved aerodynamics.

Engineering technician Jeff Howell removes tape from the Mock Truss-Braced Wing 10-foot model at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The tape was used to limit the amount of epoxy on the model wing during the process to secure the fiber optic strain sensors to the wing.

Justin Hall, left, and Robert “Red” Jensen, at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, add layers of carbon fiber and foam in a mold. Another few layers will be added and then it will be cured about eight hours under vacuum. The parts were later removed from molds, refined, and joined for an aircraft that is designed to be an atmospheric probe.

Derek Abramson, left, chief engineer for the Dale Reed Subscale Flight Research Laboratory, and Justin Link, small unmanned aircraft systems pilot, prepare an atmospheric probe model for flight on Oct. 22, 2024. A quad rotor remotely piloted aircraft released the probe above Rogers Dry Lake, a flight area adjacent to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The probe was designed and built at the center.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Executive Vice President Greg Ulmer speaks on stage prior to the unveiling of the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft at a January 12, 2024 event at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

Ron Harris, an engineering technician, works in the Experimental Fabrication Branch at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Thursday, March 14, 2023. The branch transforms engineering concepts into hardware for research aircraft and technology development, supporting advances in aviation safety, efficiency, and sustainability.

U.S. Air Force Corrosion Control Facility personnel work to sand NASA 862, which is an F/A-18D based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The facility is located on Edwards Air Force Base and is also known as the Paint Barn.

Researchers test a 10-foot Mock Truss-Braced Wing at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The aircraft concept involves a wing braced on an aircraft using diagonal struts that also add lift and could result in significantly improved aerodynamics.

NASA research pilot David Zahn, left, wearing a temporal sensor and pupil tracking glasses works with NASA human factors researcher Kevin J. Monk to calibrate the glasses for accuracy, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023. The researchers will use the glasses for Advanced Air Mobility autonomous flight research at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Bridgeport, Connecticut to evaluate the time a pilot spends looking at a navigation tablet along with their vision pattern while using the tablet.

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits in position inside a hangar at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California prior to its January 12, 2024 unveiling. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy speaks on stage prior to the official unveiling of the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft at a January 12, 2024 event at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

John Bishop, who works at the U.S. Air Force Corrosion Control Facility, sands areas in a stencil for adding some finishing touches to NASA 862, which is an F/A-18D based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The corrosion control facility is located on Edwards Air Force Base and is also known as the Paint Barn.

Six students from the California State University, Northridge, Autonomy Research Center for science, technology, engineering, entrepreneurship, arts, humanities, and mathematics spoke about their Trust in Autonomy technology. The students from left are Aniket Christi, Julia Spencer, Dana Bellinger, Zulma Lopez Rodriguez, front, Jordan Jannone, and Samuel Mercado. The group answered questions about their technology May 23 at the Air Force Test Pilot School auditorium on Edwards Air Force Base, California.

U.S. Air Force Corrosion Control Facility nears the end of stencils and painting of NASA 862, which is an F/A-18D based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The corrosion control facility is located on Edwards Air Force Base and is also known as the Paint Barn.

An atmospheric probe model attached upside down to a quad rotor remotely piloted aircraft ascends with the Moon visible on Oct. 22, 2024. The quad rotor aircraft released the probe above Rogers Dry Lake, a flight area adjacent NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The probe was designed and built at the center.

NASA researcher Saravanakumaar Ramia controls the air taxi passenger ride quality simulator by monitoring several computers in the Ride Quality Laboratory at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, during an experiment on Oct. 23, 2024. Studies continue in this lab to better understand passenger comfort for future air taxi rides.

A team of experts wrap up science flights on the ER-2 aircraft at Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California after the GSFC Lidar Observation and Validation Experiment (GLOVE) in February 2025. Nikolas Gibson from NASA Ames Research Center integrates the enhanced MODIS Airbrone Simulator (eMAS) instrument onto the ER-2. As a collaboration between engineers, scientists, and aircraft professionals, GLOVE aims to improve satellite data products for Earth Science applications.

NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center Director Brad Flick smiles as members of the DC-8 team gather and exchange congratulations after the aircraft and crew return to NASA Armstrong’s Building 703 in Palmdale, California, on April 1, 2024, following the aircraft’s final mission in support of the Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality (ASIA-AQ).

The DC-8 aircraft returned to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center Building 703 in Palmdale, California, on April 1, 2024, after completing its final mission supporting Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality (ASIA-AQ). The aircraft and crew were welcomed back with a celebratory water salute by the U.S. Air Force Plant 42 Fire Department.

A wood router cuts precise holes in plywood for temporary floorboards on Aug. 26, 2024, in the Experimental Fabrication Shop at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The flooring was designed for the X-66 experimental demonstrator aircraft.

Researchers test a 10-foot Mock Truss-Braced Wing at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Ben Park, NASA mock wing ground vibration test director, taps the wing structure with an instrumented hammer in key locations and sensors monitor the results. The aircraft concept involves a wing braced on an aircraft using diagonal struts that also add lift and could result in significantly improved aerodynamics.

The DROID 2 (Dryden Remotely Operated Integrated Drone 2) aircraft flies by the former space shuttle hangar at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, as part of the Advanced Exploration of Reliable Operation at Low Altitudes: Meteorology, Simulation, and Technology campaign. The focus was to study wind to provide data for safe takeoff and landing of future air taxis.

NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy speaks on stage prior to the official unveiling of the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft at a January 12, 2024 event at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

NASA Associate Administrator for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate Bob Pearce speaks on stage prior to the unveiling of the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft at a January 12, 2024 event at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

NASA's F-15B Aeronautics Research Test Bed performs a calibration flight of the shock-sensing probe over Edwards, California, on Aug. 6, 2024. The probe will measure shock waves from NASA's X-59.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Executive Vice President Greg Ulmer speaks on stage prior to the unveiling of the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft at a January 12, 2024 event at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

Derek Abramson, left, chief engineer for the Dale Reed Subscale Flight Research Laboratory, and Justin Link, small unmanned aircraft system pilot, carry the atmospheric probe model and a quad rotor remotely piloted aircraft to position it for flight on Oct. 24, 2024. John Bodylski, probe principal investigator, right, and videographer Jacob Shaw watch the preparations. Once at altitude, the quad rotor aircraft released the probe above Rogers Dry Lake, a flight area adjacent to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The probe was designed and built at the center.

NASA and Lockheed Martin test pilots inspect the painted X-59 as it sits on the ramp at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

Eric Miranda, who works at the U.S. Air Force Corrosion Control Facility, paints areas in a stencil for adding some finishing touches to NASA 862, which is an F/A-18D based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The corrosion control facility is located on Edwards Air Force Base and is also known as the Paint Barn.

Engineering technician Jeff Howell mounts conventional strain gauges to the Mock Truss-Braced Wing 10-foot model at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The conventional system data will be compared the Fiber Optic Sensing System developed at the center on the same wing to see how well the testing methods match.

Students examine small parts made at the Experimental Fabrication Shop at NASA’s Armstrong Research Flight Center in Edwards, California. The students are from the engineering club from Palmdale High School in Palmdale, California.

Robert "Red" Jensen positions the DROID 2 (Dryden Remotely Operated Integrated Drone) aircraft before a flight for the Advanced Exploration of Reliable Operation at Low Altitudes: Meteorology, Simulation, and Technology campaign. The weather study was at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The focus was to study wind to provide data for safe takeoff and landing of future air taxis.

NASA and Lockheed Martin publicly unveil the X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft at a ceremony in Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

NASA pilot Scott Howe, left, and Sikorsky safety pilot Brent Davis, prepare to board Sikorsky’s SARA S-76B experimental aircraft at Sikorsky Memorial Airport, Bridgeport, Connecticut on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. In addition to Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomous flight technology, SARA is also outfitted with multiple NASA autonomous flight software systems the pilots and test team will evaluate during their flights over Long Island Sound.

An engineering technician works in the Experimental Fabrication Branch at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Thursday, March 14, 2023. The branch transforms engineering concepts into hardware for research aircraft and technology development, supporting advances in aviation safety, efficiency, and sustainability.

The Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar, UAVSAR, is prepared for installation onto NASA’s C-20A aircraft.  THE UAVSAR uses a technique called interferometry to detect and measure very subtle deformations in the Earth’s surface, and the pod is specially designed to be interoperable with unmanned aircraft in the future.  It will gather data from Gabon, Africa in September of 2023.

The DC-8 aircraft returns to the hangar at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center Building 703 in Palmdale, California, on April 1, 2024, after completing its final mission supporting Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality (ASIA-AQ).

Dr. Alexandra Loubeau, one of the technical co-leads for sonic boom community testing for the Quesst mission, sets out a microphone in the California desert. . The Quesst mission recently completed testing of operations and equipment to be used in recording the sonic thumps of the X-59. The testing was the third phase of Carpet Determination in Entirety Measurements flights, called CarpetDIEM for short. An F-15 and an F-18 from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center created sonic booms, both loud and soft, to verify the operations of ground recording systems spread out across 30 miles of open desert.

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works Director of Government Affairs Eric Fox speaks on stage prior to the unveiling of the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft at a January 12, 2024 event at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

NASA human factors researcher Kevin J. Monk, left, and NASA pilot Scott Howe verify the connectivity and accuracy of the biometric sensors placed on Howe for test flight at Sikorsky Memorial Airport, Bridgeport, Connecticut on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. These sensors will track various physiological responses sending the data to Monk’s computer as Howe engages with the autonomous flight software used to fly the aircraft.

NASA test pilots Nils Larson (left) and Jim “Clue” Less (right), and Lockheed Martin test pilot Dan “Dog” Canin pose with the newly-painted X-59 as it sits on the ramp at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

Researchers test a 10-foot Mock Truss-Braced Wing at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Frank Pena, test director, checks the mock wing. The aircraft concept involves a wing braced on an aircraft using diagonal struts that also add lift and could result in significantly improved aerodynamics.

Allen Parker, Mark Hagiwara, Paul Bean, Patrick Chan, Jonathan Lopez (seated), and Frank Pena comprise the Fiber Optic Sensing System team at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, in Edwards, California. The systems on the table measure strain and temperature, critical safety data for hypersonic vehicles that travel five time the speed of sound.

Cathy Bahm, Low Boom Flight Demonstrator project manager at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, presents a look at how the X-59 aircraft team addresses safety. Bahm manages the effort to design, build, and test the X-59 aircraft, which will use quiet supersonic technologies to fly over communities as part of NASA’s Quesst mission.

NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, flew the B200 King Air in support of the Signals of Opportunity Synthetic Aperture Radar (SoOpSAR) campaign on Feb. 27, 2023.

The atmospheric probe model flies free after release from a quad rotor remotely piloted aircraft above Rogers Dry Lake, a flight area adjacent NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Oct. 22, 2024. The probe was designed and built at the center.

Justin Hall bonds pieces of a cradle for a rotorcraft launch system for a proposed atmospheric probe set to fly in summer 2024 at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Hall is a designer, technician, and pilot at the center’s Dale Reed Subscale Flight Research Laboratory.

Justin Link prepares the DROID 2 (Dryden Remotely Operated Integrated Drone 2) aircraft before a flight for the Advanced Exploration of Reliable Operation at Low Altitudes: Meteorology, Simulation, and Technology campaign. The weather study was at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The focus was to study wind to provide data for safe takeoff and landing of future air taxis.

A red light confirms that the fiber of the Fiber Optic Sensing System installed on the Mock Truss-Braced Wing 10-foot model works as intended at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The fiber, which is about the thickness of a human hair, is part of a system that can provide strain information researchers can use to determine the model’s durability.

Members of past science missions pose together in front of the DC-8 aircraft’s left engine turbine at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center Building 703 in Palmdale, California. From left are avionics lead Kelly Jellison, chemical scientist Katherine Ball, DC-8 Deputy Program Manager Kirsten Boogaard, and DC-8 safety engineer Garry Moors. On May 2, 2024, NASA personnel, friends, and family celebrated the DC-8 staff, aircraft, and science campaigns.

A team of experts prepares the ER-2 aircraft at Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California for the GSFC Lidar Observation and Validation Experiment (GLOVE) in February 2025. Researcher Grant Finneman from the University of Iowa installs the insulations at the front of the ER-2 forebody pod where the Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL) flies. As a collaboration between engineers, scientists, and aircraft professionals, GLOVE aims to improve satellite data products for Earth Science applications.

U.S. Air Force Corrosion Control Facility’s Shelby Youngo paints tail art on to NASA 862, which is an F/A-18D based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The corrosion control facility is located on Edwards Air Force Base and is also known as the Paint Barn.

NASA test pilot Wayne Ringelberg sits in the air taxi virtual reality flight simulator during a test at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California in March 2024.

Justin Hall, left, chief pilot of small unmanned aircraft systems, carries the atmospheric probe at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The probe, which was designed and built at the center, flew after release from a quad rotor remotely piloted aircraft on Oct. 22, 2024, above Rogers Dry Lake, a flight area adjacent to the NASA center. At right, Justin Link, unmanned aircraft systems pilot, checks out the controllers for the two aircraft.

NASA and Lockheed Martin test pilots inspect the painted X-59 as it sits on the ramp at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.