The X-38 Vehicle 131R, intended to prove the utility of a "lifeboat" crew return vehicle to bring crews home from the International Space Station in the event of an emergency, was unloaded from NASA's Super Guppy transport aircraft on July 11, 2000. The newest X-38 version arrived at Dryden for drop tests from NASA's venerable B-52 mother ship. The tests will evaluate a 7,500 square-foot parafoil intended to permit the crew return vehicle to return from space and land in the length of a football field.
