On Nov. 25, 1970, an experimental aircraft called the Northrop M2-F3 made its first powered flight.
The M2-F3 was a heavyweight lifting body. A lifting body is an airplane that produces most of the lift through its fuselage instead of wings. It's commonly referred to as a "wingless" aircraft. After Air Force test pilot Bill Dana took the M2-F3 on three unpowered glide test flights, he did the first powered flight, too. Dana soared to an altitude of 45,000 feet during this flight, which lasted just over 6 minutes. He didn't break the sound barrier this time, but he did on later flights. The M2-F3 flew a total of 27 missions in its three-year flight history. Its top speed was 1.6 times the speed of sound, and its top altitude was 71,500 feet. If you want, you can see the M2-F3 vehicle today. NASA donated it to the Smithsonian Institution. It is now hanging at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington.
The M2-F3 was a heavyweight lifting body. A lifting body is an airplane that produces most of the lift through its fuselage instead of wings. It's commonly referred to as a "wingless" aircraft. After Air Force test pilot Bill Dana took the M2-F3 on three unpowered glide test flights, he did the first powered flight, too. Dana soared to an altitude of 45,000 feet during this flight, which lasted just over 6 minutes. He didn't break the sound barrier this time, but he did on later flights. The M2-F3 flew a total of 27 missions in its three-year flight history. Its top speed was 1.6 times the speed of sound, and its top altitude was 71,500 feet. If you want, you can see the M2-F3 vehicle today. NASA donated it to the Smithsonian Institution. It is now hanging at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington.
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TechTranscript
00:00 On this day in space.
00:03 On November 25th, 1970, an experimental aircraft called the Northrop M2F3 made its first powered
00:09 flight.
00:10 The M2F3 was a heavyweight lifting body.
00:13 A lifting body is an airplane that produces most of the lift through its fuselage instead
00:16 of its wings.
00:17 It's commonly referred to as a wingless aircraft.
00:21 After Air Force test pilot Bill Dana took the M2F3 on three unpowered glide test flights,
00:25 he did the first powered flight too.
00:28 Dana soared to an altitude of 45,000 feet during this flight, which lasted just over
00:32 six minutes.
00:33 The M2F3 flew a total of 27 missions in its three-year flight history.
00:39 Its top speed was 1.6 times the speed of sound, and its top altitude was 71,500 feet.
00:45 NASA donated it to the Smithsonian Institution.
00:47 It is now hanging at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
00:52 And that's what happened on this day in space.
00:54 [music]