Keeping NASA Flying: Ground Crews Ensure Aircraft Readiness

4 min readPreparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA crew chief Walt Kondracki checks an F-15 aircraft Tuesday, March 17, 2026, at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Ground crews, made of various roles, maintain the aircraft to be ready for each mission.NASA/Carla Escamilla From high‑speed research flights to high‑altitude science campaigns, NASA depends on aircraft that perform at their best and the ground crews who keep them mission ready. At NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, specially trained maintenance crews are essential to keeping the agency’s aircraft flying safely and reliably. This year, NASA added two F-15s and a Pilatus PC-12 to its fleet at Armstrong. These aircraft – alongside platforms such as the high-altitude ER-2s and NASA’s newest X-plane, the X-59 – reflect a wide range of capabilities. The maintenance staff is responsible for keeping each one mission ready. NASA pilot Nils Larson, left, walks next to crew chief Walt Kondracki, right, by an F-15 aircraft Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. In the background, NASA mechanic Tim Logan secures the cockpit inside of the F-15, and flight test engineer A.J. Jaffe stands to the…

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