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The North American X-15 is a hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft operated by the United States Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the X-plane series of experimental aircraft.
Feb 28, 2014 · The X-15 was a follow-on research aircraft to the early X-planes, which had explored the flight regime from just below the speed of sound (Mach 1) to Mach 3.2. In 1952 the NACA had begun preliminary research into space flight and associated problems.
Mar 18, 2014 · X-15: The World's Fastest Rocket Plane and the Pilots who Ushered in the Space Age, by John Anderson and Richard Passman. This first flight was the beginning of one of the most spectacular test programs of one of the most spectacular airplanes in history.
Sep 15, 2009 · The X-15 was a research scientist’s dream. The experimental, rocket-boosted aircraft flew 199 flights with 12 different pilots at the controls from 1959 through 1968.
Jul 23, 2019 · The X-15 was a joint research program sponsored by the NACA, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, and private industry. It was designed to explore the upper limits of supersonic flight above Mach 2 and hypersonic flight beyond Mach 5.
Oct 13, 2023 · Oct 13, 2023. Article. On Oct. 15, 1958, the first X-15 hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft rolled out of its factory. A joint project among NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Navy, the X-15 greatly expanded our knowledge of flight at speeds exceeding Mach 6 and altitudes above 250,000 feet.
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The X-15 and other X-planes are more than a historical legacy for NASA. The program is the core of NASA’s an array of new experimental aircraft that will carry on the legacy of demonstrating advanced technologies to push back the frontiers of aviation.
Built by the Northrop Aircraft Corporation, the X-15's ball nose was an attitude sensing device, an Inconel sphere with small orifices that could measure the airplane's angle of attack and...
Mar 25, 2014 · The X-15 is the fastest and highest-flying manned aircraft. Decades after its record-breaking flights, it’s inspiring a new generation of space planes.
