Beyond the Textbook: DC-8 Aircraft Inspires Students in Retirement | Space

In May 2024, Idaho State University’s class of 2025 received a new learning tool from NASA. The DC-8 aircraft served the world’s scientific community for decades as a platform under NASA’s Airborne Science Program before retiring to Idaho State University (ISU) to provide a hands-on learning experience for students in the university’s aircraft maintenance technology program. 

“The DC-8 has quickly become a cornerstone of our Aircraft Maintenance Technology program at ISU,” said Jake Dixon, Director of Marketing and Recruitment at the ISU College of Technology. “It has already enhanced our summer classes ahead of its full integration with the start of the new school year this fall.” 

The DC-8 flew its final flight from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California to Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho in May 2024. That flight represented the retirement of the aircraft after 37 years of supporting airborne science missions as a NASA aircraft. 

“The opportunity for students to interact firsthand with the aircraft’s systems and features significantly extends their learning beyond what theory or textbooks can provide,” Dixon said.

The DC-8 served as an educational platform for years. Beginning in 2009, the DC-8 functioned as an airborne science laboratory for NASA’s Student Airborne Research Program (SARP), where…