High-Flying Science The Airborne Science Branch of NASA's Dryden Flight Reseach Center at Edwards Airforce Base, CA, operates two ER-2 aircraft. These high-altitude aircraft are used as platforms for investigations that cannot be accomplished by sensor platforms of the private sector. Aircraft and spacecraft have proven to be excellent platforms for remote sensing. The ER-2, flying at the edge of space, can scan shorelines, measure water levels, help fight forest fires, profile the atmosphere, assess flood damage, and sample the stratosphere.