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North American X-15
rocket plane was an experimental aircraft project. It was the first aircraft to attain velocities of
Mach 4, 5 and 6. The X-15 completed 199 missions between
1959 and 1968.
The X-15 was rocket-powered research aircraft.
The X-15 was air launched from a
B-52 aircraft. It had no landing gear, but landed on skis.
It had reaction controls for attitude control in space.
X-15 is composed of an internal
structure of titanium and a skin surface of a chrome-nickel alloy
known as Inconel X.
Development of the X-15 began in 1954, in a joint research
program sponsored by the NACA (National Advisory Committee for
Aeronautics - now NASA), the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, and
private industry. North American was selected as prime contractor
on the project following a competition in which Bell, Douglas, and
Republic competed.
Specs:
Wingspan: 6.82 m
Length: 15.47 m
Height : 3.96 m
Weight: 5,670
kg empty
Powerplant: Reaction Motors
XLR-99 rocket engine.
Manufactured by Thiokol Chemical Corp
The X-15 had its first unpowered glide flight on June 8, 1959.
The first powered flight took place
on September 17, 1959. The
final flight of the X-15 was performed on October 24, 1968.
The rocket plane set
many first speed records in the Mach 4-6 range. These included:
Mach 4.43 on March 7,
1961
Mach 5.27 on June 23, 1961
Mach 6.04 on November 9, 1961
Mach 6.7 on October 3, 1967.
It also set an altitude
record of 354,200 feet (67 miles) on August 22, 1963. Data was
used to study
hypersonic air flow, aerodynamic heating, control and stability at
hypersonic speeds.
Three X-15
research aircraft were built and flown:
1. X-15-1
(serial number 56-6670) is located at the National Air
and Space Museum, Washington DC.
2. X-15A-2 (serial number
56-6671) is at the United States Air Force Museum,
Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. It was the fastest X-15 flown.
3. X-15-3
(serial number 56-6672) crashed on 15 November 1967
during atmospheric re-entry, resulting in the death of Michael J.
Adams. Parts of the X-15-3 are on display at the Air Force Flight
Test Center Museum at Edwards AFB and the San Diego Aerospace
Museum, San Diego, California. The experimental rocket plane
featured an advanced cockpit display panel and a special adaptive
control system.
A total of 199
research flights were completed. The twelve
X-15 Pilots were:
1. Michael J. Adams, U.S. Air
Force, 7 flights.
2.
Neil Armstrong,
NASA, 7 flights. He reached
an altitude of 207,500 feet in the X-15-3 and a speed of Mach 5.74
(3,989 mph) in the X-15-1.
3. A. Scott Crossfield, North American Aviation, 14
flights.
4. William H. Dana, NASA, 16
flights.
5. Joe H. Engle, U.S. Air Force, 16
flights.
6. William J. Knight, U.S. Air Force, 16
flights.
7. John B. McKay, NASA, 29
flights.
8. Forrest S. Petersen, U.S. Air Force, 5
flights.
9. Robert A. Rushworth, U.S. Air Force, 34
flights.
10.
Milton O. Thompson, NASA, 14 flights.
11. Joseph A. Walker, NASA, 25
flights.
12. Robert M. White, U.S. Air Force, 16
flights.
There were plans to use the X-15 as a spaceplane to be launched
at the top of a rocket, however it was not fulfilled. Much of what was learned on the X-15 was
applied to the
Space Shuttle.
Books
Hypersonic: The Story of the North American X-15
by Dennis Jenkins, Tony Landis, William H. Dana
from
Amazon.com,
Amazon.co.uk,
Amazon.ca
At the Edge of
Space: The X-15 Flight Program
by Milton O. Thompson, Neil A. Armstrong
from
Amazon.com,
Amazon.co.uk,
Amazon.ca
Hypersonic: The Story of the North American X-15
by Dennis Jenkins, Tony Landis, William H. Dana
from
Amazon.com,
Amazon.co.uk,
Amazon.ca
X-15 Photo Scrapbook
by Tony R. Landis, Dennis R. Jenkins
from
Amazon.com,
Amazon.co.uk,
Amazon.ca
X-15 Diary: The Story of America's First
Space Ship
by Richard Tregaskis
from
Amazon.com,
Amazon.co.uk,
Amazon.ca
Dvd
X-15: The Edge
of Space
from
Amazon.com
X-15 Links:
Nasa's X-15 Photo Gallery:
NASA Dryden X-15 Photo Collection:
X-15: Hypersonic History:
Quest's X-15 :
Mwade's Navaho/X-15:
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