The NASA U-2 Story

The NASA U-2 Story. . , This U-2 aircraft, NASA 708, with its sister ship, NASA 709, was obtained from the U.S. Air Force in 1971 to test the instrumentation systems being developed for the early Landsat Earth-observing satellites. The results were so successful that the program was extended, with the aircraft becoming significant Earth-observing platforms in their own right. Because they were capable of gathering air samples at altitudes above 95 percent of the Earth's atmosphere, they also became instrumental in studying atmospheric composition. These data made significant contributions to early ozone studies. , The NASA U-2's were the last of the original production run, started in the 1950's, to remain on flight status. They were designed during the Cold War to overfly the Soviet Union to gather intelligence. Both U-2's were capable of being outfitted for naval carrier operations. Upon retirement in 1987, NASA 709 set 16 International Time-to-Climb and Cruise Altitude records, in two weight classes. , The work done by the NASA U-2's in the 1970s and 1980s continues today, using ER-2 aircraft. These airplanes, with their larger wing and higher payload, are deployed around the world gathering data on Earth resources, celestial events, atmospheric dynamics, and oceanographic processes.