Edwards AFB in Kern County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
HL-10 Lifting Body
Photographed by Denise Boose, September 26, 2023
1. HL-10 Lifting Body Marker
Flown 37 times by NASA's Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California.
First flight December 22, 1966. Final flight July 17, 1970.
Maximum speed and altitude records for lifting bodies held by the HL-10: Mach 1.86 (1228 MPH) and 90,300 feet.
Pilots: Bruce A. Peterson John A. Manke Peter C. Hoag Jerauld R. Gentry William H. Dana.
The HL-10 was part of a program that investigated blunt-shaped vehicles, called lifting bodies, which led to the selection of a lifting entry configuration for the Space Shuttle. Results from the lifting body flights greatly aided shuttle designers in the decision to land the orbiter as an unpowered glider.
Erected by National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space. A significant historical date for this entry is July 17, 1959.
Location. 34° 57.147′ N, 117° 53.382′ W. Marker is in Edwards AFB, California, in Kern County. It is on Lilly Avenue, on the right when traveling west. Edwards Air Force Base is not open to the public. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Edwards CA 93524, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Joaquin Valley, specifically in the Central Valley, in the Mojave Desert, and in the Sierra Nevada. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird (within shouting distance of this marker); Lockheed F-104
this page online
Also see . . . Northrop HL-10. (Submitted on March 31, 2013.)
Additional keywords. B-52, B-52-008, 008
February 25, 2013
2. HL-10 and Marker
February 25, 2013
3. HL-10 Marker
With Gratitude and Special Thanks to the following people who made the HL-10 acquisition and restoration possible:
Jerry S. Reedy,
Robert W. Anderson,
Stephen P. Blank,
Richard S. Gordes,
Nancy D. Lovato,
Roger A. Lynn,
Donald J. Whitefield,
Keith D. Ness,
Robert M. Sawyer,
Edmund K. Swan,
Boleshlaw Szuwalski.
February 25, 2013
4. HL-10 Lifting Body
February 25, 2013
5. HL-10 Lifting Body
Dryden Flight Research Center is now Armstrong Flight Research Center.
Photographed by Craig Baker, September 20, 2019
6. HL-10 Lifting Body
from Wikimedia Commons
7. HL-10 Lifting Body
William H. Dana watches NASA's B-52-008 cruise overhead after a research flight in the HL-10 at Edwards Air Force Base.
January 21, 2013
8. B-52-008
Located outside the North Gate of Edwards AFB.
January 21, 2013
9. HL-10's 37 Flights
Stencils of the aircraft launched from B-52-008.
January 21, 2013
10. B-52-008
January 21, 2013
11. B-52-008 Under-Wing Pylon
January 21, 2013
12. B-52-008 Retired
January 21, 2013
13. B-52-008 Launching an X-15
Credits. This page was last revised on March 23, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 31, 2013, by Denise Boose of Tehachapi, California. This page has been viewed 1,392 times since then and 56 times this year. Last updated on September 21, 2019, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. Photos: 1. submitted on September 28, 2023, by Denise Boose of Tehachapi, California. 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 31, 2013. 6. submitted on September 21, 2019, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 7. submitted on December 26, 2024, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. submitted on March 31, 2013. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
