A derivative of the U-2 Dragon Lady, NASA's ER-2 (Earth Resources -2). N809NA or "NASA809" is based at the Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards AFB, California and is used for high-altitude research including Earth resources, celestial observations, atmospheric monitoring, and oceanic processes.
NASA 809 is shown landing at Ellington Field after photographing the effects on the Gulf of Mexico by the British Petroleum oil spill in 2010. The ER-2 was tasked with these overflights to utilize the AVIRIS Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer in addition to the Hasselblad camera with digital back.
