located_in_the_administrative_territorial_entity wallops flight facility launch area 3
An unmanned aerial vehicle ( UAV ), commonly known as a drone , unmanned aircraft system ( UAS ), or by several other names , is an aircraft without a human pilot aboard . The flight ___MASK48___ UAVs may operate with various degrees ___MASK48___ autonomy : either under remote control by a human operator , or fully or intermittently autonomously , by onboard computers .< ref name =" ICAO ' s circular 328 AN / 190 "></ ref > ___MASK25___ (, officially the Commonwealth ___MASK48___ ___MASK25___ ) is a state located in the Mid - Atlantic region ___MASK48___ the United States , as well as in the historic Southeast . ___MASK25___ is nicknamed the " Old Dominion " due to its status as the first colonial possession established in mainland British America , and " Mother ___MASK48___ Presidents " because eight U . S . presidents were born there , more than any other state . The geography and climate ___MASK48___ the Commonwealth are shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay , which provide habitat for much ___MASK48___ its flora and fauna . The capital ___MASK48___ the Commonwealth is Richmond ; ___MASK25___ Beach is the most populous city , and Fairfax County is the most populous political subdivision . The Commonwealth ' s estimated population is over 8 . 3 million , which is slightly less than New York City . Flight testing is a branch ___MASK48___ aeronautical engineering that develops and gathers data during flight ___MASK48___ an aircraft , or atmospheric testing ___MASK48___ launch vehicles and reusable spacecraft , and then analyzes the data to evaluate the aerodynamic flight characteristics ___MASK48___ the vehicle in order to validate the design , including safety aspects . ___MASK57___ is a state located in the Mid - Atlantic region of the United States , bordering Virginia , West Virginia , and Washington , D . C . to its south and west ; Pennsylvania to its north ; and Delaware to its east . The state ' s largest city is Baltimore , and its capital is Annapolis . Among its occasional nicknames are " Old Line State ", the " Free State ", and the " Chesapeake Bay State ". The state is named after Henrietta Maria of France , the wife of Charles I of England . Launch Area 3 ( LA - 3 ) at the Wallops Flight Facility is a launch complex which was used , mostly by Scout rockets , between 1960 and 1985 . Forty - one Scout launches occurred from the complex , making both orbital and suborbital . In addition , four Nike sounding rockets were launched from the complex in 1970 . Launch Area 3 contains two launch pads , Area 3 and Area 3A . Area 3 , also known as the Mk . I launcher , was used by eighteen Scout rockets between 1960 and 1964 . The first launch from the complex , on 18 April 1960 , was the maiden flight ___MASK48___ the Scout rocket , using the Scout X configuration . The last Scout launch from the pad occurred on 6 November 1964 . On 7 March 1970 , a Nike - Apache and four Nike - Iroquois rockets were launched from the complex . The upgraded Launch Area 3A , or Mk . II launcher , replaced the original Launch Area 3 . It was used for twenty - three Scout launches , starting on 20 July 1964 . The last launch from the complex occurred on 13 December 1985 . A sounding rocket , sometimes called a research rocket , is an instrument - carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub - orbital flight . The rockets are used to carry instruments from above the surface ___MASK48___ the Earth ; the altitude generally between weather balloons and satellites ( the maximum altitude for balloons is about and the minimum for satellites is approximately ). Certain sounding rockets , such as the Black Brant X and XII , have an apogee between ; the maximum apogee ___MASK48___ their class . Sounding rockets often use military surplus rocket motors . NASA routinely flies the Terrier Mk 70 boosted Improved Orion lifting payloads into the exoatmospheric region between . The Goddard Space Flight ___MASK94___ ( GSFC ) is a major NASA space research laboratory established on May 1 , 1959 as NASA ' s first space flight ___MASK94___ . GSFC employs approximately 10 , 000 civil servants and contractors , and is located approximately northeast of Washington , D . C . in Greenbelt , ___MASK57___ , United States . GSFC , one of ten major NASA field centers , is named in recognition of Dr . Robert H . Goddard ( 1882  1945 ), the pioneer of modern rocket propulsion in the United States . Wallops Flight Facility ( WFF ) , located on the Eastern Shore ___MASK48___ Virginia , United States , approximately north - northeast ___MASK48___ Norfolk , is operated by the Goddard Space Flight ___MASK94___ in Greenbelt , ___MASK57___ , primarily as a rocket launch site to support science and exploration missions for NASA and other Federal agencies . WFF includes an extensively instrumented range to support launches ___MASK48___ more than a dozen types ___MASK48___ sounding rockets , small expendable suborbital and orbital rockets , high - altitude balloon flights carrying scientific instruments for atmospheric and astronomical research and  using its Research Airport  flight tests ___MASK48___ aeronautical research aircraft including unmanned aerial vehicles . Greenbelt is a city in ___MASK32___ George ' s County , ___MASK57___ , United States . Contained within today ' s City of Greenbelt is the historic planned community now known locally as " Old Greenbelt " and designated as the Greenbelt Historic District . Greenbelt ' s population was 23 , 068 at the 2010 U . S . Census . The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ) is an independent agency ___MASK48___ the executive branch ___MASK48___ the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space program as well as aeronautics and aerospace research .