Skip Top nav bar link group topnav end piece go to business section go to education section go to history section go to gallery section go to news section go to organizations section go to research section go to search engine go to site index topnav end piece
NASA Meatball NASA Dryden X-38 banner
X-38 vehicle #131R arrives at NASA Dryden via NASA'S Super Guppy transport aircraft X-38 vehicle #131R arrives at NASA Dryden via NASA'S Super Guppy transport aircraft
Photo Number: EC00-0212-1
Photo Date: July 11, 2000
Formats: 542x480 JPEG Image (79 KBytes)
1158x1024 JPEG Image (408 KBytes)
3000x2652 JPEG Image (4,115 KBytes)
Description: NASA's Super Guppy transport aircraft landed at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. on July 11, 2000, to deliver the latest version of the X-38 drop vehicle to Dryden. The X-38s are intended as prototypes for a possible "crew lifeboat" for the International Space Station. The X-38 vehicle 131R will demonstrate a huge 7,500 square-foot parafoil that will that will enable the potential crew return vehicle to land on the length of a football field after returning from space.

The crew return vehicle is intended to serve as a possible emergency transport to carry a crew to safety in the event of problems with the International Space Station. The Super Guppy evolved from the 1960s-vintage Pregnant Guppy, used for transporting outsized sections of the Apollo moon rocket. The Super Guppy was modified from 1950s-vintage Boeing C-97. NASA acquired its Super Guppy from the European Space Agency in 1997.

NASA Photo by: Tom Tschida
Keywords: X-38; crew return vehicle; International Space Station; Super Guppy; C-97

Skip bottom nav bar link group Business | Education | History | Gallery | News Room | Organizations | Research | Search | Site Index


Last Modified: February 6, 2002
Responsible NASA Official: Marty Curry
Curator: PAO Webmasters

NASA Website Privacy Statement