<miso@sushi.com> wrote in message news:5c35ec12-0fc4-46fb-9e7b-f85a03a55b72@z17g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...

On Feb 25, 5:39 pm, "John A. Weeks III" <j...@johnweeks.com> wrote:

In article <NLJwj.12566$J41.11...@newssvr14.news.prodigy.net>,

 "M.Butzin" wrote:
> NASA still does supposedly but ya can't tell when or why or for who.

The only SR-71 that NASA flies is the one that is mounted on a pylon
outside of the offices at NASA Dryden.  The last SR-71 flew in
October 1999.

-john-

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John A. Weeks III           612-720-2854            j...@johnweeks.com
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Yes, at the Edwards Air show. Unfortunately, it only flew on Saturday
and I was there on Sunday. :-( As you know, the SR-71 was prone to
leaks. A fuel leak canceled the Sunday flight.

MB was probably thinking of the ER-2, a white U2 used by NASA for
atmospheric research.

SR-71's were built that way from the get go, the titanium heats up during flight and seals the fuel tanks, they take off with just enough fuel to get them airborne and a KC 135 is near by to fill the tanks. The skin also has a series bumps built into to it for expansion and contraction. SR-71's still fly under NASA's operation just as the U-2 does under the guise of "weather related exercises". The Air Force took them off their list of "active aircraft", they never said they were chopping them up, but they "rent" them from NASA which "officially" takes pictures of Earth and Sky. So officially the Air Force relies on space based photos, but when "quick" shots are needed NASA will plan a "mission".

MB