Rare government plane spotted flying back to the US

A rare NASA WB-57 research plane was seen flying from Reykjavik, Iceland, to Bangor, Maine, while trailing behind another long-range government aircraft, a Gulfstream V, Flightradar24 data shows. 

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According to a July 27 news release from NASA, researchers were using 360-degree cameras attached to scientific balloons — along with the high-altitude WB-57 aircraft — to capture images of the sun’s outer atmosphere, known as the corona, during the Aug. 12 eclipse over Iceland, Greenland and Spain. The highly anticipated solar event was livestreamed by the agency, gathering over 3.5 million views in just a day.  

Earlier this week, the aviation community shared a photo online of what appeared to be the same WB-57 while it was still in Iceland.

NASA WB57
by u/MountainPlayTattoo in aviation

“From our unique perspective on Earth during a total solar eclipse, scientists can study the Sun’s corona in a way we can’t from anywhere else in the solar system,” said Kelly Korreck, eclipse program manager at NASA headquarters in Washington, in the news release. “The Sun impacts our daily life, satellites, and astronauts in space, and we can take advantage of this moment to advance our understanding of that influence.” 

NASA describes the WB-57, which was first developed in the 1950s as the Martin B-57 Canberra, as a critical asset to the scientific community. It has a flying range of about 6.5 hours at an altitude of over 63,000 feet. Flown by two pilots and able to reach an air speed of 410 knots, the unique planes have helped carry out several atmospheric research missions over the past two decades. 

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“Cosmic dust collectors” — tools used to collect samples of dust from comets and meteors in Earth’s upper atmosphere — have been on WB-57s since 1981, and the same planes have been flown to collect critical data on hurricanes and cirrus clouds. Three WB-57s are stationed near the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. 

The aircraft it was trailing behind, a Gulfstream V registered as N95NA, is a business jet that helps carry out airborne research missions in remote locations across the globe. Procured by NASA in 2016, it’s since been modified to provide medical care to deconditioned astronauts. The agency’s website says it’s currently carrying out the international “Eclipse Mission” Aug. 8-14.