Test Pilot Who Set 25 World Speed Records in a B-1B: NASA Names Troy Asher Director of Armstrong Flight Research Center
NASA has announced that Administrator Jared Isaacman has named Troy Asher director of the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, NASA's Flight Test and Aircraft Operations Center of Excellence. Asher, a veteran test pilot and aerospace engineer, has served as the center's acting director since March.
Asher succeeds Bradley Flick, who retired in March following nearly 40 years of NASA service. As director, Asher will oversee Armstrong's workforce and operations, leading NASA's efforts to advance flight research, aircraft operations, and the development of new aviation technologies. NASA said the center plays a central role in rebuilding and expanding the agency's X-plane portfolio and restoring its flight-test capabilities, and also supports airborne science missions and flight research across the agency.
'Troy has spent his career pushing the boundaries of flight, both at the controls of experimental aircraft and leading the teams that make these missions possible,' said Administrator Jared Isaacman, adding that Asher's experience will be invaluable as Armstrong works to fly higher, farther, and faster than in decades. NASA Associate Administrator and Chief Engineer Amit Kshatriya said flight testing demands a rare combination of technical excellence, operational judgment, and trust in the teams behind every mission, qualities Asher's service embodies.
Asher joined NASA in 2008 as a research test pilot and aerospace engineer. He conducted flight research aboard aircraft including the F-15, F/A-18, Gulfstream III, and the X-56A unmanned aircraft system, served as lead test pilot for NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), and flew scientific missions aboard the agency's DC-8 aircraft around the globe. Before becoming acting director, he served as Armstrong's director of Flight Operations, overseeing the center's pilots, engineers, maintainers, and fleet of specialized aircraft.
Before joining NASA, Asher completed a 24-year career in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. His service included assignments as an instructor at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, commander of the 419th Flight Test Squadron, and director of the Bomber Combined Test Force. In 2003, he set 25 world speed records flying the B-1B bomber. He earned a bachelor's degree in astronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a master's degree in mechanical engineering from California State University, Fresno.
Established in 1946, the Armstrong Flight Research Center has stood at the forefront of American flight research for eight decades, from the first supersonic flight aboard the Bell X-1 to today's work advancing quiet supersonic flight through NASA's X-59 aircraft.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：NASA 新任阿姆斯特朗飞行研究中心主任 Troy Asher 官方肖像（美国航天局 NASA 官方发布，公共领域）。 / Image: Official portrait of Troy Asher, NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center director (NASA, public domain).
