Langley Research Center
President Woodrow Wilson sent Jerome Hunsaker to Europe in early 1917. The report from that trip warned of a dangerous gap between American and European military aviation capabilities. Aviation Week published this warning on the 15th of February 1917. Wilson then commanded the creation of the nation's first aeronautics laboratory. This new facility became known as NASA Langley. It was established by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics later that year. The center opened its doors on Langley Field in Hampton, Virginia. By 1920, four researchers and eleven technicians began their work there. They focused on airframe design and propulsion engine performance during World War I.
John Stack received the Collier Trophy in 1947 for his research into supersonic flight laws. His work helped determine the physical forces affecting aircraft moving faster than sound. Richard T. Whitcomb developed the area rule in 1954 to reduce wing drag during transonic flight. This method allowed planes to reach higher speeds with less power. The center also created standards for grooving aircraft runways. These grooves reduced aquaplaning and improved tire grip in heavy rain. This design is now the international standard for all runways worldwide. In April 1934, Popular Science reported on the construction of the world's largest wind tunnel at the site. That tunnel could test full-scale aircraft inside a massive test section.
The Space Task Group made Langley its main office between 1958 and 1963. Project Mercury began operations under this leadership structure. In mid-February 1961, NASA launched Explorer 9 as an orbital payload from the facility. The Lunar Landing Research Facility opened in 1965 to simulate Moon landings. A mock Apollo Lunar Module hung from a gantry over a simulated lunar landscape. Engineers tested experimental Lunar Landing Research Vehicles there. The center supported the Viking program for Mars exploration missions. It also designed spacecraft for landing on the Red Planet. Later work included testing the Orion spacecraft on land-based landing systems.
African American female mathematicians worked as human computers at the center from 1943 through 1958. They were known as the West Area Computers because they labored in Langley's West Area. White mathematicians worked in the East section of the building. Virginia's Jim Crow laws governed their daily lives and working conditions during that era. These women performed complex calculations by hand before electronic computers existed. Their contributions helped advance rocket research and flight safety standards. The group operated under strict segregation rules until the late 1950s. Their legacy remains a significant part of the center's history today.
The National Transonic Facility is a high pressure, cryogenically cooled closed loop wind tunnel. Work began in July 2011 to remove the transonic wind tunnel built in the 1940s. That older facility had been inactive since 2004 despite supporting military aircraft development. All fighters since 1960 used its capabilities including the F-14 and F-15 models. The center now uses more than 40 wind tunnels for testing purposes. Plastic fabrication machines create low-cost toys and industrial parts using CAD data. A freeform fabrication department handles these rapid manufacturing tasks with thin grated heating elements. The facility supports hypersonic X-43 research which achieved world speed records.
Leigh M. Griffith served as Engineer-in-Charge from the 1st of November 1922 through the 31st of December 1925. Henry J. E. Reid took over leadership starting the 1st of January 1926 and held the post until June 1947. Floyd LaVerne Thompson became director on the 23rd of May 1960 and served until the 1st of May 1968. Clayton P. Turner was appointed director of NASA Langley in September 2019 after serving as associate director. He previously held the role of deputy director before that appointment. Dawn Schaible acted as director from the 16th of July 2024 to the 22nd of February 2025. Trina Dyal has led the center since the 22nd of February 2025. These leaders guided strategic decisions during decades of technological change.
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Common questions
When was NASA Langley established and where is it located?
NASA Langley was established by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics later in 1917. The center opened its doors on Langley Field in Hampton, Virginia.
Who were the West Area Computers at NASA Langley and when did they work there?
African American female mathematicians worked as human computers at the center from 1943 through 1958. They were known as the West Area Computers because they labored in Langley's West Area under strict segregation rules until the late 1950s.
What major wind tunnel projects has NASA Langley developed since the 1940s?
The center created standards for grooving aircraft runways to reduce aquaplaning and improved tire grip in heavy rain. Work began in July 2011 to remove the transonic wind tunnel built in the 1940s which had been inactive since 2004 despite supporting military aircraft development.
Which directors led NASA Langley between 1922 and 2025?
Leigh M. Griffith served as Engineer-in-Charge from the 1st of November 1922 through the 31st of December 1925. Trina Dyal has led the center since the 22nd of February 2025 after Dawn Schaible acted as director from the 16th of July 2024 to the 22nd of February 2025.
How did John Stack and Richard T. Whitcomb advance aviation technology at NASA Langley?
John Stack received the Collier Trophy in 1947 for his research into supersonic flight laws that determined physical forces affecting aircraft moving faster than sound. Richard T. Whitcomb developed the area rule in 1954 to reduce wing drag during transonic flight allowing planes to reach higher speeds with less power.