13 min read
Introduction
Since 1987, a highly modified McDonnell Douglas DC-8 aircraft has been a workhorse in NASA's Airborne Science Program (ASP)-see Photo 1. The aircraft, located at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) in California, flew countless missions as a science laboratory, producing science data that supports projects serving the world's scientific community, particularly the NASA Earth science community. NASA recently decided to retire the venerable DC-8 aircraft, which made its last science flight in April 2024. The DC-8 is being replaced with a similarly refurbished Boeing 777 aircraft, which will be even more capable than the DC-8.
Photo 1. NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory flew Earth science missions for NASA's. Airborne Science Program (ASP) from 1987-2024. The versatile aircraft was used to conduct a variety of research experiments that spanned all seven continents.
Photo credit: Lori Losey [NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC)]
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