X-Nico

17 unusual facts about Edwards Air Force Base


Carl E. Walz

The Expedition 4 crew returned to Earth aboard STS-111, with Endeavour landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on June 19, 2002.

Charles K. Johnson

Originally an airplane mechanic in San Francisco, Johnson took on the running of the Society from Samuel Shenton on the latter's death in 1972, from his base on a ranch near Edwards Air Force Base.

Chuck Versus the Predator

When they reply that they cannot, Orion assumes that they are in danger and sends a Predator drone from Edwards Air Force Base.

Clarence Syvertson

In 1981, NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave desert was merged with Ames and Syvertson assumed management responsibility for both Ames Moffett and Ames Dryden.

Edward Givens

He served as an instructor at the Air Force Interceptor Weapons School from January 1956 to March 1958 and subsequently attended the United States Air Force Experimental Flight Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

Ellen S. Baker

STS-34 Atlantis (October 18–23, 1989) launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

James M. Kelly

When this continued for a second day the shuttle was diverted and Kelly landed with Discovery at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

He was selected for Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, Edwards, California, where he graduated in June 1994.

James W. Wood

After the Dyna-Soar program was cancelled on December 10th,1963, he remained with the U.S. Air Force and served as Commander of Test Operations at Edwards Air Force Base.

John Muratore

From 1996 to 2003, he was the Program Manager of the X-38 program, an unmanned demonstrator which performed a series of successful demonstration flights at Edwards Air Force Base.

Kieran Prendiville

He was BBC television's choice for on-site commentator of the first space shuttle mission, reporting from Cape Canaveral and Edwards Air Force Base.

Mike Mullane

In July 1976, upon completing the USAF Flight Test Engineer Course at Edwards Air Force Base, California, he was assigned as a flight test weapon system operator to the 3246th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators

Its formation was largely in response to high-profile, deadly crane accidents in California (a crane accident killed five in San Francisco's Financial District in November 1989 and another crane accident killed one and caused a fire at Edwards Air Force Base in September 1990) and in Washington state (a July 1994 crane accident at the Kingdome in Seattle killed two and injured one).

Rocket sled

Perhaps the most famous, the tracks at Edwards Air Force Base were used to test missiles, supersonic ejection seats, aircraft shapes and the effects of acceleration and deceleration on humans.

Space Shuttle Project

Finally, the player must land the shuttle by again performing Quick Time Events that correspond to landing maneuvers before finally landing at Edwards Air Force Base.

William E. Thornton

This was the third flight for the Challenger and the first mission with a night launch from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, and a night landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

Yury Lonchakov

Landing was originally planned at KSC however continuing cloud cover, rain showers and gusty winds forced Endeavour to land at Edwards Air Force Base in California.


Antelope Valley Conservancy

The flat, clay surface of the dry lakes are the heart of Edwards Air Force Base, site of innumerable historic flight tests and alternative landing site for the Space Shuttle.

California State Route 14

In Rosamond, the highway passes close to Edwards Air Force Base, which was often used as one of the main landing strips for NASA's Space Shuttle, and as the base for the X-15 and many other air and spacecraft.

The northern portion, from Vincent (south of Palmdale) to Route 395, is legislatively named the Aerospace Highway, as the highway serves Edwards Air Force Base, once one of the primary landing strips for NASA's Space Shuttle.

Call to Glory

Craig T. Nelson received familiarization rides in USAF jets at Edwards Air Force Base during the filming of the series, including flights in the T-38 Talon, the F-4 Phantom II, and the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

Ed Woll

In 1946 Woll worked at the Power Plant Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Field in Dayton, Ohio and Edwards Air Force Base in California.

Panamint Valley

The airspace is primarily used by military aircraft from Nellis AFB, Edwards AFB, NAWS China Lake, and NAS Lemoore for high and low altitude mission training.

Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport

On September 20, the Space Shuttle Discovery was transported from Edwards Air Force Base to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida with stops in Amarillo, Carswell AFB in Ft.Worth, and Barksdale AFB in Louisiana.

On July 1, 2007 the Space Shuttle Atlantis made a stop at the airport while being piggybacked from Edwards Air Force Base to Florida—one of the few visits by the shuttle to a commercial airport.

SpaceShipOne flight 15P

Distinguished attendees included former astronaut Buzz Aldrin and the Commanding Officer of Edwards Air Force Base.