The intrigue: NASA flies the only remaining WB-57F aircraft, all three of which are based near the Johnson Space Center. The planes have been flying research missions since the early 1970s.

Four scientists in two WB-57 flights will fly at 50,000ft (15,240m) along the eclipse's path of totality, collecting data on the Sun's corona. Mallory Yates, who will be an equipment operator on ...

Despite extensive efforts, including NASA's high-tech WB-57F plane, no clear answers have emerged. Despite the deployment of sophisticated countermeasures and investigatory resources, the origins ...

The Americans even decided to deploy a NASA WB-57F aircraft near the facility, which is usually used for rocket testing, to ...