NASA secretly pulls a Blackbird from its display pole to fly again after 27 years
NASA asked several former SR-71A staffers to help secret restart
NASA has quietly removed SR-71A Tail No. 844 from its display at Armstrong Flight Research Center and offered jobs to retired SR-71 engineers to help return the Blackbird to flight after nearly 27 years. The agency destroyed its $600 million spare parts supply in 2007, and unique fuel, ignition chemicals, and ground equipment are all gone. Former test engineer Mike Relja doubts it's feasible, but NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has hinted at a new X-plane fleet.
When we were operational, if we had a spare engine, every 90 days we had to rotate the engine. Every 180 days, we had to run it to keep it as a ready spare. Now you're talking about engines that have been sitting for 30-plus years.
- yodon
The SR-71 is cool, but this article is not at all confidence inspiring on many fronts.
Guy being interviewed by a reporter about a secret project. A secret project that is trying to resurrect a plane that has been subject to weather and on display as a museum piece for many years.
It sounds like a clown-show staged around a cool looking plane that's older than 90+% of HN readers.
- trevithick
Why would they do this?
> And Lockheed’s operational manuals for the SR-71A still exist—and are superb...
I appreciate this level of documentation.
- Computer0
Reading the article, this does seem ill-advised.