Photos: NASA's Amazing T-38 Supersonic Jet Planes

T-38 Jets Fly in Formation

A pair of T-38s fly in formation over Galveston Beach in Texas, showing some of the aerobatic abilities of the T-38. Image released April 20, 2011.

T-38 Jet Banks over Kennedy Space Center

A T-38 banks over Launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as the crew arrives for the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test for STS-130. Image released April 20, 2011.

T-38 Aircraft Fly Over Washington

Two NASA T-38 training jets are seen as they fly near the U.S. Capitol, Thursday, April 5, 2012, in Washington. NASA, in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration, conducted training and photographic flights over the DC metropolitan area.

T-38 Jet Silhouette

A T-38 is silhouetted against the sun in flight. Image releasd April 20, 2011.

Space Shuttle Enterprise Lands with T-38 Jets Overhead

This scene was photographed when the NASA 747 carrier aircraft and five T-38 aircraft flew over the Shuttle Orbiter 101 "Enterprise" while it was parked on the runway at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California. The Orbiter 101 had just completed a five-minute, 28-second unpowered mission during the second free flight of the Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) conducted September 13, 1977 at the Dryden Flight Research Center.

NASA T-38 Jet and Shuttle Discovery

Two NASA T-38 jets, like the one seen here in the foreground, will scout the skies ahead of space shuttle Discovery (background) arriving in Washington, D.C.

Astronaut Terry Virts Piloting T-38 Jet

Astronaut Terry Virts as he pilots the T-38 to Kennedy for TCDT. Image released April 20, 2011.

T-38 Flyover, National Mall

A NASA T-38 training jet is seen as it flies over Washington, D.C. on April 5, 2012.

T-38 Aircraft Fly Over Washington

Two NASA T-38 training jets are seen as they fly over Washington, DC, Thursday, April 5, 2012. NASA, in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration, conducted training and photographic flights over the DC metropolitan area.

T-38 Aircraft Fly Over Washington

Two NASA T-38 training jets are seen as they fly over Reagan National Airport, Thursday, April 5, 2012 in Arlington, VA. NASA, in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration, conducted training and photographic flights over the DC metropolitan area.

Two T-38 Jets Dive

A pair of T-38s dive toward a runway at Edwards Air Force Base in Calif., on a steep approach like the one the shuttle uses on approach. Image released April 20, 2011.