Tu-144LL NASA 1996.

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Tupolev TU-144LL RA-77114 in flight
In July, 1983 this aircraft was designated as 101 and established 14 world records. These records were including a height of flight of 18,200 m with payload from 10 to 30 tons, average speed of 2,031.55 km/h on a closed circuit of 1,000 km and 2,012.26 km/h on a closed circuit of 2,000 km.

When the TU-144 program was cancelled, CCCP-77114 was used as research aircraft in experiments about the radiation in top layers of the atmosphere, ozone layer, thermal influence in different materials and studies on aerodynamics. In 1990 was placed in nonflyable storage.

In 1993 08-2 was chosen to serve as testbed in a joint program between Tupolev, NASA and others US firms. The aircraft suffered an extensive modification that included the power plant, former Koliesov RD-36-51A engines were replaced by Kuznetsov NK-321 (engines of the TU-160 bomber). The new model was designated TU-144LL Flying Laboratory.