Is that a lifting body under your wing, or are you just happy to see me?

It’s hard to believe that the B-52B in this photo from 1969…

… is the same plane (NASA Tail Number 008) in this picture from 2001:

When the tenth B-52 (registration number 52-0008) rolled off Boeing’s Seattle line, NASA grabbed it and put it to use launching some of the coolest/weirdest aircraft that the United States ever produced. For nearly 50 years, Balls 8 launched everything from the North American X-15, lifting bodies (like the HL-10 in the first picture) that paved the way for the Space Shuttle, to the X-43 Hyper-X scramjet (above and below).

By the time she finally retired in 2004, this “mothership” had accumulated 2,443 hours and was the longest-serving B-52 ever built. Balls 8 is now enjoying retirement, sitting on display at the north gate of Edwards Air Force Base.