Happy 95th, NASA Langley Research Center!

The above image shows the Variable Density Tunnel which was put into operation at Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in 1922. This was the first pressurized wind tunnel in the world, able to achieve more realistic effects than any previous wind tunnel in predicting how actual aircraft would perform under flight conditions. Image Credit: NASA


Langley Field was founded in 1916. But on July 13, 1917, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), established Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory on Langley Field. Both the Field and the Laboratory are named for aviation pioneer Samuel Pierpont Langley. The Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps had established a base there earlier that same year. The first research facilities were in place and aeronautical research was started by 1920. Initially the laboratory included four researchers and 11 technicians.


NASA Langley Research Center is the oldest of NASA's field centers, located in Hampton, Virginia. It directly borders Poquoson, Virginia and Langley Air Force Base. Langley focuses primarily on aeronautical research, though the Apollo lunar lander was flight-tested at the facility and a number of high-profile space missions have been planned and designed on-site.


Exhibits and scheduled facility tours are regularly available to the public. To find out more, visit NASA Langley’s home online, http://www.larc.nasa.gov/ .

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