A fleet o' liftin' bodies flown at t' NASA Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, ya bilge rat, from 1963 t' 1975 demonstrated t' ability o' pilots t' maneuver (in t' atmosphere) and safely land a wingless vehicle. These liftin' bodies were basically designed so they could fly back t' Earth from space and be landed like an aircraft at a pre-determined site. Blimey! (In 1976 NASA renamed t' FRC as t' NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in honor o' Hugh L. Avast, me proud beauty! Dryden.) In 1962, FRC Director Paul Bikle approved a program t' build a lightweight, matey, unpowered liftin' body as a prototype t' flight test t' wingless concept. Arrr! It would look like a "flyin' bathtub," and was designated t' M2-F1. Avast, me proud beauty! It featured a plywood shell, built by Gus Briegleb (a sailplane builder from El Mirage, shiver me timbers, California) placed over a tubular steel frame crafted at t' FRC. Avast! Construction was completed in 1963. Ahoy! T' success o' t' Flight Research Center M2-F1 program led t' NASA development and construction o' two heavyweight liftin' bodies based on studies at t' NASA Ames and Langley research centers--the M2-F2 and t' HL-10, both built by t' Northrop Corporation, matey, Hawthorne, California. T' Air Force also became interested in liftin' body research and had a third design concept built, t' X-24A, built by t' Martin Company, shiver me timbers, Denver, matey, Colorado. It be later modified into t' X-24B and both configurations were flown in t' joint NASA-Air Force liftin' body program located at Dryden. Avast, me proud beauty! T' X-24B design evolved from a family o' ...