It has been asserted that the Boeing NB-52B Stratofortress, carrying Air Force serial 52-0008, can lay claim to being the airplane that has seen and participated in more history than any other single airplane. For forty-five years, the NB-52B was a fixture at Edwards Air Force Base. While the NB-52B is most famous for launching the three North American X-15 rocket planes, it continued to serve in the role of launch platform for a multitude of programs until its final mission on November 16, 2004. It was the oldest flying B-52 by nearly ten years. The book is 200 pages long. It contains 246 color photographs, 89 black and white photographs, and 2 other illustrations.

This document tracks the changes to the appearance of the two Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses that were modified to carry and launch the North American X-15 rocket planes. The two NB-52s went on to launch the X-15A-2, Northrop HL-10, Northrop M2-F2, and Martin-Marietta X-24A. The NB-52A retired in October 1969, but the NB-52B soldiered on until November 2004, launching a wide variety of unmanned research vehicles and parachute test devices. The appearance of the NB-52s changed many times over the years. These changes are illustrated in this document. There are fourten sets of illustrations for the NB-52A and eighteen sets of illustrations for the NB-52B. The Stratofortress motherships are popular subjects for modelers. Their special missions capture the imagination. The liberal application of DayGlo orange, DayGlo red, and yellow makes them a couple of the most colorful B-52s. This document will help modelers to reproduce the correct appearance of either Stratofortress for any particular mission.