These and thousands of other interesting photos are on servers at NASA's Dryden Research Flight Center, at Edwards in the gorgeous high desert east of Los Angeles. They have links to numerous other flight-related sites. [Loading the thumbnail images takes a few seconds.]

	It looks fast sitting still, here on the apron at Dryden. [54K jpg]
	On the ground, elongated by its pointed shadow, and looking very much like a dart. [137K jpg]
	This is my favorite on-earth picture, where perspective distortion gives the plane an even more missile-like appearance than it really has. One of my most prized possessions is a lapel pin of this plane, with a certificate that the pin had been on board on August 24, 1994, flying at up to 79,300 feet and traveling at Mach 3.23! [199K jpg]
	Just after takeoff, the wheels about to pop into the wells. [423K jpg]
	In flight, afterburners at full blast. My friend who works on SR-71 research projects at Dryden says a low-altitude pass with full afterburners is visceral in the way an earthquake is. Having been in LA during an earthquake, I can say I would much prefer to experience the shaking and roaring of the SR-71. [159K jpg]
	Back down on the ground, or getting there. [138K jpg]
	In flight over the mountains, as seen from the refueling tanker. [83K jpg]
	Another view in flight over the mountains, as seen from the refueling tanker. [241K jpg]