animals

Sweet pics... thanks for sharing. Can't get over the shadow and curvature shots... completely amazing.

7captain7

Wow!!! Those pictures are amazing, it must be a great feeling flying up there. Thanks for sharing.

CMercieca

Incredible! Thanks for taking the time to upload them!

u2drvr

Actually, the U-2 replaced the SR-71!! The Sled was far too expensive for the return. The U-2 has much longer loiter time, better payload (i.e. better sensors) and better datalinks. The only advantage of the Sled was the fact that it was essentially untouchable, but that means nothing in a conflict where you establish air dominance from the outset.

skycowboy

So U2 I gotta another question - You are up there buzzing around FL700 - what kind of eye protection do you wear up there? The infrared, the UVA/UVB, and cosmic particles such as positrons, etc... must wreak havoc on the human eye... any special precautions???

u2drvr

The IR is no big deal since it just effects temp and you can control cabin temp and airflow into the suit. All UV is blocked by the canopy and suit faceplate which are both made of polcarbonate plastic (Lexan). Before every flight we check "space weather" and have limits for radiation levels based on lattitude (worse at higher lattitude). It is very rare to have to cancel a flight due to solar radiation, but it can happen.

skycowboy

What kind of radiation hazards posed by the sun do you watch out for? Gamma rays? Solar flares? High energy particles? You ever fly around the poles where radiation hits at higher energy (I think do to the magnetosphere being weaker there hence forth the existance of the Aurora borealis and Aurora australis - you can clue me in on that if I am wrong) and there is more cosmic radiation hitting the earth?

Ever seen "cosmic fireflies"??? - thats where high energy cosmic particles actually exceed the speed of light through the vitreous fluid in your eye... particles CANNOT exceed the speed of light in a vacuum i.e. space - in theory everything breaks down at that speed - however particles can exceed the speed of photons through liquid viscous media such as the vitreous fluid of the eye - and when they do light is actually emitted and it casts a cone of blue light on the retina of the eye and is percieved as a flash of light - hence a "Cosmic firefly".

aviator09

awesome phots !!

alarkyokie

Closest I've been to your office was when one of NASA's U2's was at Lockheed
in SoCal (where I worked) to be painted...Sure is a pretty bird! Made that hanger real popular!
Big thanks for the effort on your part to take the pictures and share them!

Freight Dog

Wow, these shots are great.