The following images were kindly provided by Howard Mason.
The U-2 was designed and built for surveillance missions in the thin atmosphere above 55,000 feet. An unusual single-engine aircraft with sailplane-like wings, it was the product of a team headed by Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson at Lockheed's "Skunk Works" in Burbank, California. The U-2 made its first flight in August 1955 and began operational service in 1956. Its employment was kept secret until May 1, 1960, when a civilian-piloted U-2 was downed on a non-USAF reconnaissance flight over Soviet territory.
USAF U-2s have been used for various missions. On October 14, 1962, Maj. Richard S. Heyser piloted a U-2 over Cuba to obtain the first photos of Soviet offensive missile sites. Maj. Rudolph Anderson, Jr. was killed on a similar mission eight days later when his U-2 was shot down. U-2s also have been used in mapping studies, atmospheric sampling and for collecting crop and land management photographic data for the Department of Energy (Source).
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