2009 Annual Report - NASA Airborne Science Program

Figure 72:
1981 photo of Ames Aircraft on the ramp.
The U-2s filled an important niche in the early ‘70s.
ERTS was late and there were science investigators
already funded. They let Marty design the sensors
that would simulate what the satellite was supposed
to produce, and then fly over three major test sites:
the East Coast, the center of the U.S., and a bunch
of other test areas.
That’s when Marty started flying again. Headquarters
had them on a flight schedule that they couldn’t
meet. The airplane had more legs than the pilots did.
So I started flying. So Marty went to Hans Mark and
said, “Here’s the program and your plan you signed
when it went to headquarters. And here’s the one we
can use, because we don’t have enough pilots.”
In 1984, on deployment to Alaska, while sitting in his
BOQ room, Marty was putting new fishing line on
his rod when Ames Center Director, Bill Ballhouse
calls. Marty is summoned back to Ames. Marty
returns quickly and when meeting with Ballhouse is
requested to run the Dryden Flight Research Facility.
Marty, not wanting to go to the desert again, was
able to negotiate a number of changes, including
that he maintain his position at Ames, in addition to
managing the Dryden facility, keep his residence in
Los Altos, be on TDY at Dryden, and have access
to an airplane. Marty also made a point that should
Dryden a full-fledged NASA Center and he would
advocate for that In May, 1984, Martin A. Knutson
was appointed Director of Flight Operations for
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