As I noted in a Simple Flying article published this past 4th of July, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is, to be sure, a civilian agency of the US Federal Government, not a military one. That said, NASA and the US military aviation community have long had a close working relationship. As noted by Donna Miles of American Forces Press Service in a 2008 article on NASA’s 50th anniversary (and published on the Official United States Air Force Website: