The Archangel and the Oxcart

April 26th, 1962. An elegant beast of the air spread its wings over Groom Lake, Nevada, an area known colloquially as "Area 51." Much like the stretch of desert blurring beneath its supersonic path, this craft was shrouded in secrecy. It had been internally dubbed "Archangel" during its development, and would later be known as "Cygnus" by many who flew it. But its official name was chosen at random from a list of Central Intelligence Agency codewords: The A-12 Oxcart. A name that, itself, serves to conceal this craft's graceful lines and beautiful poise. 

Fifteen of these aircraft were produced. Six were lost, victims to the covert and often dangerous spheres in which they operated. Nine still remain.

Archangel's final flight was in 1968, and for over two decades these magnificent birds lay dormant behind the veil of their covert past, sitting in storage in Palmdale, California. However, as the world emerged from the haze of the Cold War these aircraft were declassified and distributed to museums across the U.S.A.

One of the still-surviving A-12 Oxcarts, Serial Number 60-6930, known within the covert project as "Article One-Twenty-Seven" had taken to the air two-hundred-fifty-eight times, logging just shy of five-hundred hours of flight time before its retirement. After its years in hiding it found its way to a perch on One Tranquility Base in Huntsville, Alabama and was dedicated at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in 1991. The Oxcart held a proud place in front of the Space and Rocket Center's Giftshop entrance ever since...until a few days ago. 

Early on Sunday morning, July 20th, 2025, the Oxcart was moved from its longtime resting spot to prep it for restorations and eventual installation in a new and more prominent perch at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. 

Saturday night, on the eve of this historic move, one photographer and a handful of locals kept the aging craft company as she enjoyed one final sunset presiding over a vista she knew well, gazing west over the droning thread of interstate 565. 

And what a sunset it was!