This plane was known as the "missile with a man in it." The stubby-winged Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was the first U.S. jet fighter in service to fly Mach 2, twice the speed of sound. Designed as a high-performance day fighter, the F-104 had excellent acceleration and top speed. The Museum's F-104 was flown for the first time on this day in 1956 by the NACA (now NASA) after being received at Edwards Air Force Base the day before. NASA flew the aircraft for 19 years and it was transferred to the Museum in August 1975. #AirSpacePhoto