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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 · Learn about the X-15, the first piloted aircraft to fly into space and break the speed and altitude records. Explore its design, history, and achievements in hypersonic flight research.
Oct 13, 2023 · Learn about the origins, development, and achievements of the X-15, the first aircraft to fly to the edge of space and beyond. See photos and details of the first factory rollout of the X-15 on Oct. 15, 1958.
- John Uri
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 · Learn how the X-15 rocket plane paved the way for the space shuttle program with its hypersonic flights and research. Read about the experiences of X-15 pilots like Joe Engle, who flew the X-15 and the shuttle.
Like other rocket planes, the X-15 was launched in midair from a B-52 “mothership” at about 45,000 feet. Once its powerful rocket ignited, the X-15 streaked upward to the limits of the atmosphere, then glided unpowered to land on a dry lake bed. Typical flights lasted about 10 minutes.
The X-15 was air launched from a B-52 aircraft at 45,000 feet and at a speed of about 500 mph. After dropping from the B-52, the rocket engine provided thrust for the first 80 to 120 seconds of flight.
