The Blackbird stratonauts

Abstract

If ever there was a project that required out-of-the box thinking, unheard of technology, new metals, new materials, new manufacturing techniques, new fuels, new lubricants, new fluids, new cameras and lenses, new thinking, and to be achieved in secret; well this is it! It’s a perfect example of how war moves science and technology. Or, to say it in an non-militaristic way, “Necessity is the Mother of Invention.” Over its nearly four decades of life, four variants of the Blackbird were built: the A-12, YF-12A, M-21, and the more famous SR-71. They were flown by the CIA, the USAF, and NASA. Several people lost their lives pushing the flight envelope to speeds over Mach 3 and to heights beyond 90,000 feet. Many records were broken. Before discussing the four Blackbird variants, its flight operations and the truly courageous crewmen, an historical context is helpful.