#TBT The past and the future of space travel meet.⁣ ⁣ As the Apollo 11 vehicle was rolling to the launch pad in Florida on May 20, 1969, NASA test pilot Bill Dana was flying the wingless HL-10 lifting body in the California desert.⁣ ⁣ The HL-10 was one of five heavyweight lifting-body designs flown at NASA’s Flight Research Center (which later became Dryden Flight Research Center). From July 1966 to November 1975, the HL-10 was used to study and validate the concept of safely maneuvering and landing a low lift-over-drag vehicle designed for reentry from space.⁣ ⁣ The lessons learned from flight testing the HL-10 provided an excellent starting point for designers of future entry vehicles, including the Space Shuttle.⁣ ⁣ Image description: NASA research pilot Bill Dana takes a moment to watch NASA’s NB-52B cruise overhead after a research flight in the HL-10. On the left, John Reeves can be seen at the cockpit of the lifting body. The desert ground is cracked and pale. The sky in the bac...