Below is a link to a cool video. It’s the Challenger-laden 747 over Los Angeles. You’ll note the FA-18 chase plane has a NASA logo on the tail. Why does NASA need a FA-18?
http://marcbrecy.perso.neuf.fr/shuttlelax/Shuttlelaxvideo.html
From NASA’s website:
More details on the linked page.
Well because they are the National Aeronautics and Space Administration - not just the space guys.
And they have 4 for chase aircrafthttp://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-006-DFRC.html, though I remember the Northrop T-38 Talons.
As one example of the research the aircraft is used for, they flew a prototype of the landing radar system for Mars Science Laboratory on an F-18 to test the behaviour of the system during the descent to Mars.
Endeavor.
In fact, NASA has an entire research directorate devoted to aeronautics, which includes not only technical research on aircraft propulsion systems and aerodynamics but new avionics, navigation, software, and system engineering/management. Most of the innovations that you see today in commercial aircraft are a result of research of this directorate or the predecessor to NASA, the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics; airfoil sections of aircraft built through the 1960s commonly referred to by using the NACA nomenclature, although with development of more complex airfoils and CAD modeling most manufacturers today use proprietary shapes.
Apollo and the Space Transportation System certainly garnered more attention (and budget), but much of the other work that is done by NASA (aside from aeronautics, Earth surveillance, telecommunications, solar weather surveillance, material science development, large scale systems engineering, planetology, biological research, et cetera) provides considerably more practical value for the taxpayer dollar.
As for F-18s, NASA maintains a large stable of different aircraft for aeronautical research, training, specialized logistics, and as test beds for novel technologies. These are generally surplussed or loaned from the respective branches of the Department of Defense on a cost-reimbursable basis, which is much cheaper and easier than acquiring flight access through the services or private contractors.
Stranger
As Pleonast notes, it’s the Endeavour - the Challenger is not currently in airworthy condition.
I believe that NASA also maintained the last operational SR-71s for a time…
Also, the F-18 is a multi-role aircraft capable of ground attack with sophisticated munitions such as laser- and satellite-guided bombs.
Let’s say those yahoos over at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory manage to poach some of NASA’s funding. What do you expect NASA to do, sit down with their Congresscritters and make a presentation pleading for restoration of the funds? Or fire up the F-18s and go get some payback?
Not quite true; NASA had two SR-71 aircraft on loan from the Air Force. The SR-71 was retired from active surveillance operations in 1989, but the aircraft remained in inventory (but technically not operational) and training and support infrastructure remained in place. It could have been reactivated for use at any time save for obtaining Congressional approval, which was granted in 1993 (too late for use in Operation Desert Storm), then finally retired in 1998 after NASA had returned the SR-71s back to the Air Force. More information here.
I know this is in jest, but the F/A-18s that are in NASA inventory do not have the live hardpoints and armament systems of the active service aircraft. I believe they even lack the internal cannon. And the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is actually a NASA center, albeit uniquely managed by California Institute of Technology. (All other centers are self-managed but as JPL is derived from an original CalTech run laboratory–that once upon a time, actually performed propulsion research–CalTech remains inextricably intertwined. It is also, arguably, the best managed of all of the NASA centers with programs.)
Stranger
NASA also operates the ER-2 which is the civilian version of the U2 spy plane. And a couple of Global Hawk UAVs, which have similar capabilities to the U2.
Endeavour.