MOTHERSHIP RETIRES

Air Classics, Mar 2005

NASA's B-52B will became museum piece

After almost 50 years of serving as a test and research aircraft, NASA's venerable Boeing B-52B air-launch mothership was retired from service on 17 December 2004. With no future programs needing its capability envisioned in the foreseeable future and maintainability becoming increasingly difficult for the last flying B model, the decision was made to retire the converted bomber to a place of honor on display at the Edwards AFB north gate. First flown in June 1955, the B-52B air-launched a variety of exotic research aircraft ranging from the X-15 rocket plane of the 1960s to the X-43A scramjet of 2004.