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A converted Martin B-57B Canberra medium bomber sits on the ramp at the NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, California. The rugged NASA aircraft was flown by Dryden in the early 1970s to learn more about the atmosphere. Instrumented with a data acquisition system, Dryden pilots measured atmospheric conditions and clear-air turbulence at various altitudes and sampled the upper atmosphere for various aerosols.
The research - to give scientists a better understanding of mountain waves, jet streams, convective turbulence, clear-air turbulence, and atmospheric contaminants - was sponsored by NASA's Langley Research Center, the University of Wyoming, and the Department of Transportation. The aircraft was retired from flight status in 1987.