M2-F3 Lifting Body
The M-2 test vehicle was used to study the behavior of wingless aircraft at speeds up to Mach 1.6 and altitudes up to 73,000 feet (22,000 meters). Air-launched from a B-52 bomber, the craft was boosted to high altitude by a rocket. It was a crucial step in developing the Space Shuttle orbiter.
This M-2 made 16 flights between July 1966
and May 1967. NASA transferred the M2-F3 to the Museum
for display in 1975.