Edwards Air Force Base

Edwards Air Force Base
U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Julius Delos Reyes · Public domain · source
Name	Edwards Air Force Base

Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Kern County, California, and is home to the Air Force Test Center, Air Force Test Pilot School, and the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center. The base is named after Glen Edwards, a test pilot who was killed in a Northrop YB-49 flying wing crash in 1948, and has been involved in numerous historic flights, including those of the Bell X-1, North American X-15, and Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. The base has also been used for testing and development of various Space Shuttle components, and has been a key location for NASA's Space Shuttle program. The base is situated near the Antelope Valley, and is close to the City of Lancaster, California, and the Mojave Desert.

● History

The history of the base dates back to the 1930s, when it was used as a United States Army Air Corps bombing range, and was later used as a training base for B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator bomber crews during World War II. The base was also used for testing and development of the P-59 Airacomet, the first United States-built jet engine-powered fighter, and the P-80 Shooting Star, the first operational jet fighter used by the United States Army Air Forces. In the 1950s and 1960s, the base was used for testing and development of various X-planes, including the Bell X-2, Douglas X-3 Stiletto, and North American X-15, and was also used as a training base for NASA Astronaut Corps members, including Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Pete Knight. The base has also been used for testing and development of various Lockheed Skunk Works projects, including the Lockheed U-2, Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, and Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk.

● Geography

The base is situated in the Antelope Valley, near the City of Lancaster, California, and the Mojave Desert, and is close to the Tehachapi Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains. The base is located near the Los Angeles County line, and is close to the City of Palmdale, California, and the City of Rosamond, California. The base is also near the California State Route 14, and the Mojave Air and Space Port, and is close to the Kern County towns of Boron, California, and North Edwards, California. The base is situated near the Rodney R. Weidner Veterans Park, and the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, and is close to the Tehachapi Loop, a famous railway loop.

● Operations

The base is home to the Air Force Test Center, which is responsible for testing and evaluating new aircraft and spacecraft systems, and the Air Force Test Pilot School, which trains test pilots for the United States Air Force and other NATO countries. The base is also home to the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, which is responsible for testing and evaluating new aircraft and spacecraft systems, and is a key location for NASA's Space Shuttle program. The base has been used for testing and development of various Space Shuttle components, including the Space Shuttle main engine, and the Space Shuttle solid rocket booster. The base is also used for testing and development of various unmanned aerial vehicles, including the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk, and the Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel.

● Facilities

The base has a number of facilities, including the Air Force Test Center Museum, which showcases the history of the base and the United States Air Force's test and evaluation programs, and the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center Museum, which showcases the history of NASA's flight research programs. The base also has a number of runways, including the Rogers Dry Lake, which is a large dry lake bed that is used for landing and takeoff operations, and the Edwards Air Force Base Airfield, which has a number of asphalt and concrete runways. The base is also home to the Edwards Air Force Base Hospital, which provides medical care to base personnel and their families, and the Edwards Air Force Base Commissary, which provides grocery shopping services to base personnel and their families.

● Environment

The base is situated in a desert environment, and is subject to extreme temperatures and weather conditions, including heat waves, sandstorms, and thunderstorms. The base is also home to a number of endangered species, including the Desert tortoise, and the California condor, and has a number of environmental programs in place to protect these species and their habitats. The base is also close to the Sequoia National Forest, and the Kern National Wildlife Refuge, and is near the Los Angeles River, and the Kern River.

● Accidents

The base has been the site of a number of accidents over the years, including the crash of a Northrop YB-49 flying wing in 1948, which killed Glen Edwards, a test pilot, and the crash of a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird in 1968, which killed two test pilots. The base has also been the site of a number of spacecraft accidents, including the crash of a Space Shuttle solid rocket booster in 1986, and the crash of a NASA X-15 in 1967, which killed Mike Adams, a test pilot. The base has a number of safety programs in place to prevent accidents, including the Air Force Safety Center, and the NASA Safety Center, and is also home to the Edwards Air Force Base Fire Department, which provides firefighting services to the base. Category:United States Air Force bases