Edwards AFB, Air Force Research Laboratory, 50th Anniversary Postcard 1947-1997

Description

Edwards AFB,
Air Force Research Laboratory Propulsion Directorate
50
th
Anniversary Postcard
This is a Rare 24 year old Military/Aerospace Postcard
The
Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Propulsion Directorate
, is located on the Edwards AFB Research Site, which is a part of the AFRL Propulsion Directorate
This Postcard is in Excellent condition with no dog ears, folds tears, or writing. Includes a plastic protector sleeve
Please see all attached pictures
Postcard comes in a Plastic Protective Sleeve
Shipping includes a Tracking Number
Air Force Rocket Research Laboratory (AFRL), Edwards Air Force Base California
The
Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Propulsion Directorate
maintains a
rocket engine test facility
on and around Leuhman Ridge, just east of Rogers Dry Lake. This facility traces its roots to early Army Air Corps activities. The Edwards Research Site is part of the AFRL Propulsion Directorate, which is headquartered at the Wright Research Site,
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
,
Ohio
.
The mission of the Propulsion Directorate
, located at Wright-Patterson AFB and
Edwards AFB
, is "to create and transition propulsion and power technology for military dominance of air and space." The current Director of the Propulsion Directorate is Douglas L. Bowers.
Research areas range from experimental rocket propulsion to developing the first ever
lithium-ion main aircraft battery
for use in the
B-2
stealth
bomber. At Edwards AFB, the
Directorate's test area
is located east of Rogers Lake.
The Propulsion Directorate was formed through the merger of the aerospace propulsion section at Wright Laboratory and the space propulsion section at Phillips Laboratory. Each section, both before and after the merger, has played a significant role in past and present propulsion systems. Prior to the development of
Project Apollo
by NASA, the Air Force worked on the development and testing of the
F-1 rocket engine
used to power the
Saturn V
rocket. The facilities for testing rockets are frequently used for testing new rocket engines including the
RS-68
rocket engine developed for use on the
Delta IV
launch vehicle. The space propulsion area also develops technologies for use in satellites on-orbit to alter their orbits. An AFRL-developed experimental
Electric Propulsion
Space Experiment (ESEX)
arcjet
was flown on the
ARGOS
satellite in 1999 as part of the Air Force
Space Test Program
.
The Directorate currently manages the
X-51A
program, which is developing a
scramjet
demonstration vehicle. The X-51 program is working to develop a flight demonstrator for a
hypersonic
cruise missile
which could reach anywhere on the globe in an hour. In January 2008, the Directorate used a modified
Scaled Composites
Long-EZ
aircraft to demonstrate that a
pulse detonation engine
could successfully power flight. That aircraft has now been transferred to the
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
at Wright-Patterson AFB for display.