Supersonic Jet Trainer

Since the 1960s, NASA astronauts have trained for the stresses of spaceflight in the high-altitude, two-seater, supersonic T-38 Talon. Developed by Northrop Grumman, the T-38 became the world's first supersonic jet trainer in 1961 when it entered service for the U. S. Air Force. The jet's aerobatic capabilities made it ideal for Air Force pilots to train to fly fighters and bombers, and for NASA astronauts to hone their piloting skills and get accustomed to the G-forces of liftoff and re-entry.

Nicknamed the "White Rocket," the T-38 requires only 2,300 ft ascend from sea level to 30,000 ft (9,068 m) in one minute. The T-38 on display here was delivered to NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in 1965 and supported Gemini and Apollo programs.

T-38 Specs
Power Plant
Two General Electric J85-GE-5 turbojet engines with afterburners
Total Thrust: 7,700 lbs (34,251 N) with after burners
Top-Speed: 812 mph (1,307 km/hr) (Mach 1.08 at sea level)
Range: 1,000 miles (1,609)
Ceiling: 55,000 ft (16,764)
Gross Takeoff Weight: 12,093 lbs (5,485 kg)
Length: 46.38 ft (14.14 m)
Height: 12.9 ft (3.93 m)
Wingspan: 25.15 ft (7.7 m)

Funding provided by John and Blair Ramsey and Family

The U. S. Space & Rocket Center salutes the Naval Mobile Construction
Battalion 24 unit of Huntsville, Al and the 117th Air Refueling Wing of Birmingham, Al for the installation of this aircraft.

(captions)
Above: NASA astronaut and Space camp alumna, Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger (STS-131) poses with a T-38 at Ellington Field in Texas.

The signature on the jet honor Col. Bob Cabana, Chief Astronaut at JSC when the plane was brought in: Phil Vaughn, project officer of the T-38 depot maintenance facility: Larry LaRose, NASA site Manager at the El Paso Forward Operating Location.

Right: View of the cockpit of a NASA t-38, looking back at the copilot and the cloudy Earth below.

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