SR-71 Blackbird: Speed, Crew and Engineering Quiz

Ten documented questions on Lockheed’s Mach 3 reconnaissance aircraft, NASA research and its engineering innovations.

Choose one answer per question. There’s no timer. You can skip a question; unanswered questions count as incorrect.

QUESTION 01What was the principal operational purpose of the SR-71 Blackbird?

Strategic reconnaissanceFighter interceptionCommercial passenger transportAerial firefighting

QUESTION 02Which American aerospace company developed the SR-71 Blackbird?

BoeingLockheedNorthrop GrummanDouglas Aircraft

QUESTION 03Roughly what cruising speed category made the SR-71 famous?

Below Mach 0.5Exactly Mach 1Above Mach 3About Mach 1.5

QUESTION 04Which material was especially important in the SR-71 airframe for high-speed heating?

Untreated woodCopper sheetingOrdinary canvasTitanium alloy

QUESTION 05Who led the Lockheed engineering organization associated with the Blackbird?

Clarence "Kelly" JohnsonOrville WrightCharles LindberghRobert Goddard

QUESTION 06What major job did the SR-71 engine inlet system perform?

Produce oxygen from waterCondition and slow incoming supersonic airflowFold the aircraft wingsReplace both jet engines

QUESTION 07What protective equipment did SR-71 crews use at very high altitude?

Ordinary cotton shirtsDiving flippersFull-pressure suitsOpen-cockpit goggles only

QUESTION 08Which date marks the record-setting SR-71 flight into the Smithsonian collection?

July 20, 1969December 17, 1903May 18, 1980March 6, 1990

QUESTION 09What was the SR-71 reconnaissance crew member beside the pilot commonly called?

Reconnaissance systems officerShip captainFlight attendantGround marshal

QUESTION 10How did NASA use SR-71 aircraft during the 1990s?

As routine airlinersAs high-speed research testbedsAs submarine escortsAs weather balloons

Keep your curiosity going.