Why the SR-71?

My love of aviation and airplanes has been infused into me my entire life. In particular, vehicles that are able to fly faster than the speed of sound fascinated me. Although I never saw one fly in person, the SR-71 Blackbird embodied that "cool" factor for me. I fell in love with the sleek black design as a kid. As I learned more about it's Mach 3+ capability, sophisticated propulsion systems, and thermal management approaches, I fell even in more love with the platform. Today, I understand the details of the design as an aerospace engineer, only further cementing my appreciation for it.

For more information on the SR-71 Blackbird, check out the Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_SR-71_Blackbird