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NASA Meatball NASA Dryden X-40A SMV Aircraft banner
X-40A arrives at NASA Dryden - on ramp X-40A arrives at NASA Dryden - on ramp
Photo Number: EC00-0155-6
Photo Date: 19 May 2000
Formats: 502x480 JPEG Image (81 KBytes)
1073x1024 JPEG Image (366 KBytes)
2934x2800 JPEG Image (3,846 KBytes)
Photo
Description:		 The X-40A SMV being delivered to NASA Dryden Flight Research Centerat Edwards, California.
Project
Description:		 Marking a major milestone in the X-37 project, an 85-percent scale test vehicle of the experimental space plane was delivered to NASA for flight testing. The X-40A test vehicle, first built for the Air Force by the Boeing Company at its Seal Beach, Calif., facility, and successfully flight tested at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., was shipped from Boeing to NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, Calif.

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala, manages the X-37 project. At Dryden, the X-40A will undergo a series of ground and air tests later this year to reduce possible risks to the larger X-37 including a drop test from a helicopter to check guidance and navigation systems planned for use in the X-37.

The X-37 is designed to demonstrate technologies in the orbital and reentry environments for next-generation reusable launch vehicles that will increase both safety and reliability, while reducing launch costs from $10,000 per pound to $1,000 per pound.
NASA Photo by: Tony Landis
Keywords: X-40A SMV; X-37
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