Dale Reed with model in front of M2-F1 DVIDS717045

Robert Dale Reed (February 20, 1930 - March 18, 2005) was an

aerospace engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...

who pioneered

lifting body A lifting body is a fixed-wing aircraft or spacecraft configuration in which the body itself produces lift (force), lift. In contrast to a flying wing, which is a wing with minimal or no conventional fuselage, a lifting body can be thought of as ...

aircraft and remotely piloted research aircraft programs for

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

at Dryden Flight Research Center.

Career

Reed, born on February 20, 1930, was an aerospace engineer who pioneered

aircraft and remotely piloted research aircraft programs at

Dryden Flight Research Center The NASA Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) is an aeronautical research center operated by NASA. Its primary campus is located inside Edwards Air Force Base in California and is considered NASA's premier site for aeronautical rese ...

in 1953. Reed is also known for conducting aerodynamic loads research on the X-1E, X-5, F-100, and D-558-II aircraft.

Later life

Reed retired in 1985, but returned as a contract aerospace engineer to work on the

X-33 The Lockheed Martin X-33 was a proposed uncrewed, sub-scale technology demonstrator suborbital spaceplane that was developed for a period in the 1990s. The X-33 was a technology demonstrator for the VentureStar orbital spaceplane, which was pl ...

, X-36 and X-38 research vehicles, two of which featured lifting body configurations. In all, Reed managed 19 projects and designed a dozen aircraft during his career. He died March 18, 2005, in San Diego.

Awards

Before his retirement from NASA in 1985, Reed won four NASA awards ranging from the

Exceptional Service Medal The Exceptional Service Medallion is a civilian decoration of the United States government. It is awarded by the Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the feder ...

to an Associate Fellow Award.

References

Sources

* Print * Print.
Dunbar, Brian. "Driving Forces." NASA. NASA, 12 Jan. 2009. Web. 06 June 2014
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Robert Dale 1930 births 2005 deaths American aerospace engineers NASA people