The intrigue: NASA flies the only remaining WB-57F aircraft, all three of which are based near the Johnson Space Center. The planes have been flying research missions since the early 1970s.

The Americans even decided to deploy a NASA WB-57F aircraft near the facility, which is usually used for rocket testing, to ...

Four scientists in two WB-57 flights will fly at 50,000ft (15,240m) along the eclipse's path of totality, collecting data on the Sun's corona. Mallory Yates, who will be an equipment operator on ...