09 Boeing NB-52B Stratofortress "Balls 8"
The NB-52B was B-52B number 52-0008 converted to an X-15 launch platform. It subsequently flew as “Balls 8” in support of NASA research until 17 December 2004, making it the oldest flying B-52B. A modified B-52H replaced it. The NB-52B was credited with 140 of the 199 X-15 flights. To carry the X-15 aloft, it was mounted to a specially designed pylon that fit underneath the starboard wing, between the 3 and 4-engine pod and the fuselage. The inboard flap was modified to accommodate the rocket plane’s vertical tail.
The NB-52B also participated in many other important projects, including the lifting body research aircraft program sponsored by the Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Started in 1966, the program's test flights were still going on in late 1973, with Martin Marietta's needle-nosed X-24 soon to be tested with the NB-52B. The permanently modified B-52B was also used to test solid rocket boosters for the space shuttle. Moreover, as a mother ship, it was expected to play an active role in the remotely piloted research vehicle program, another joint project of the Air Force and NASA.
In this image, “Balls 8” takes the X-15A aloft on its test flights. To fit the X-15 under the wing, a small trailing edge cut-out was required to the starboard inboard flap and part of the wing. During the drop, the X-15 pilot had to keep the aircraft within a 20-degree roll to prevent the vertical stabilizer from contacting the starboard wing.
09 Boeing NB-52B Stratofortress "Balls 8"
The NB-52B was B-52B number 52-0008 converted to an X-15 launch platform. It subsequently flew as “Balls 8” in support of NASA research until 17 December 2004, making it the oldest flying B-52B. A modified B-52H replaced it. The NB-52B was credited with 140 of the 199 X-15 flights. To carry the X-15 aloft, it was mounted to a specially designed pylon that fit underneath the starboard wing, between the 3 and 4-engine pod and the fuselage. The inboard flap was modified to accommodate the rocket plane’s vertical tail.
The NB-52B also participated in many other important projects, including the lifting body research aircraft program sponsored by the Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Started in 1966, the program's test flights were still going on in late 1973, with Martin Marietta's needle-nosed X-24 soon to be tested with the NB-52B. The permanently modified B-52B was also used to test solid rocket boosters for the space shuttle. Moreover, as a mother ship, it was expected to play an active role in the remotely piloted research vehicle program, another joint project of the Air Force and NASA.
In this image, “Balls 8” takes the X-15A aloft on its test flights. To fit the X-15 under the wing, a small trailing edge cut-out was required to the starboard inboard flap and part of the wing. During the drop, the X-15 pilot had to keep the aircraft within a 20-degree roll to prevent the vertical stabilizer from contacting the starboard wing.