2008 Annual Report - NASA Airborne Science Program

Dryden
Aircraft
Operations
Facility
NASA DC-8 overflies Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility, Palmdale, California.
Fiscal year 2008 marked a key event
for NASA Airborne Science flight
operations with the stand-up of the
Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility
(DAOF). The DAOF is located in
Palmdale, California, about 70 miles northeast
of downtown Los Angeles. NASA has leased
the facility, which consists of over 210,000
square feet of hangar space and an equivalent
amount of working space for offices, labs,
conference accommodations, and storage
from Los Angeles World Airports for 20
years. NASA’s DC-8, ER-2s and G-III aircraft
will be based at this new facility, along with
the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared
Astronomy (SOFIA) aircraft.
The DAOF is located on public land adjacent
to the U.S. Air Force Production Flight
Test Installation (Plant 42), and has access
to two 12,000-foot runways and other
support facilities maintained at this extensive
aerospace complex. The Palmdale location
offers easy access to hotels, restaurants,
stores, shipping, and airline facilities.
The DAOF provides a safe and secure
environment for visiting scientists and
technicians to check out and prepare sensor
and instrumentation systems for flight.
Approximately 7,000 sq. ft. of laboratory
space has been configured to support
multiple science teams during the upload
process. Simulated aircraft power (28VDC,
400 Hz and 60 Hz) with appropriate
connectors, allows functional testing of
experimenter equipment in the lab prior to
integration onto the aircraft. High power
laser operations, hazardous chemical handling,
compressed gasses and cryogens can all be
accommodated. NASA security procedures
at the DAOF provide rapid processing and
access for science visitors from around the
world. The facility can be made available
around the clock during mission uploads and
operations.
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