No one injured Tuesday when NASA plane failed to get airborne at Ellington Field

The plane, a high altitude research aircraft known as a WB-57, had a not-yet-identified malfunction on the runway, one NASA spokesman said. The plane, a high altitude research aircraft known as a WB-57, had a not-yet-identified malfunction on the runway, one NASA spokesman said. Photo: Yvette Orozco Photo: Yvette Orozco Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close No one injured Tuesday when NASA plane failed to get airborne at Ellington Field 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

No one was injured when a NASA airplane failed to get airborne Tuesday at Ellington Field, space agency officials confirmed.

The plane, a high altitude research aircraft known as a WB-57, had a not-yet-identified malfunction on the runway, said Kelly Humphries, spokesman for NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Two people were onboard the aircraft but neither were injured, Humphries said.

"The plane was in the process of taking off but was not considered airborne," he said. "We're just happy that no one was hurt."

NASA plans to investigate the incident.

Johnson is home to the space agency's WB-57 High Altitude Research Program and three of these planes are located at Ellington Field.

WB-57 planes -- capable of flying at 60,000 feet for about 6.5 hours carrying 8,800 pounds -- began flying research missions in the 1970s.

The planes can be used to study earth science, cosmic dust collection and ground mapping, as well as provide support for rocket launches.

Alex Stuckey writes about NASA and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuckey@chron.com or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey.

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