The X-15 Rocket Plane

The X-15 Rocket Plane PDF Author: Michelle L. Evans
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
ISBN: 0803246846
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 488

Book Description
With the Soviet Union’s launch of the first Sputnik satellite in 1957, the Cold War soared to new heights as Americans feared losing the race into space. The X-15 Rocket Plane tells the enthralling yet little-known story of the hypersonic X-15, the winged rocket ship that met this challenge and opened the way into human-controlled spaceflight. Drawing on interviews with those who were there, Michelle Evans captures the drama and excitement of, yes, rocket science: how to handle the heat generated at speeds up to Mach 7, how to make a rocket propulsion system that could throttle, and how to safely reenter the atmosphere from space and make a precision landing. This book puts a human face on the feats of science and engineering that went into the X-15 program, many of them critical to the development of the Space Shuttle. And, finally, it introduces us to the largely unsung pilots of the X-15. By the time of the Apollo 11 moon landing, thirty-one American astronauts had flown into space—eight of them astronaut-pilots of the X-15. The X-15 Rocket Plane restores these pioneers, and the others who made it happen, to their rightful place in the history of spaceflight.

X-15

X-15 PDF Author: Dennis R. Jenkins
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781470025854
Category : Aerodynamics, Hypersonic
Languages : en
Pages : 704

Book Description
The X-15 was the ultimate "X" vehicle. Built in the 1950s, she became the fastest and highest-flying winged aircraft of its time. During 199 flights from 1959 through 1968, she collected data about hypersonic flight that was invaluable to aeronautics and to developers of the space shuttle. This book describes the genesis of the program, the design and construction of the aircraft, years of research flights and the experiments that flew aboard them.-publisher description.

At the Edge of Space

At the Edge of Space PDF Author: Milton O. Thompson
Publisher: Smithsonian Institution
ISBN: 1588340783
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 426

Book Description
In At the Edge of Space, Milton O. Thompson tells the dramatic story of one of the most successful research aircraft ever flown. The first full-length account of the X-15 program, the book profiles the twelve test pilots (Neil Armstrong, Joe Engle, Scott Crossfield, and the author among them) chosen for the program. Thompson has translated a highly technical subject into readable accounts of each pilot's participation, including many heroic and humorous anecdotes and highlighting the pilots' careers after the program ended in 1968.

X-15 Diary

X-15 Diary PDF Author: Richard Tregaskis
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
ISBN: 9780803294561
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 340

Book Description
Built of titanium and a chrome-nickel alloy known as Inconel X, the X-15 was the fastest plane ever built, streaking through the lower reaches of outer space even before the first space capsules reached orbit. First tested in 1959, the X-15 proved to be a crucial testing ground for the astronauts and hardware in the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and even the Space Shuttle programs. ø The dramatic tale of the golden age of this experimental plane comes vividly to life through the writing of the celebrated reporter Richard Tregaskis, who spent time with the pilots, engineers, and other key personnel involved in the project. We learn of the years of planning and design, devastating onboard explosions, exhilarating triumphs, and, above all, the personal and professional sacrifices that paved the way for the enduring legacy of the blisteringly fast X-15 rocket plane.

X-Planes from the X-1 to the X-60

X-Planes from the X-1 to the X-60 PDF Author: Michael H. Gorn
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030863980
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 183

Book Description
Foreword by Dr. Roger D. Launius, Former NASA Chief Historian For the past 75 years, the U.S. government has invested significant time and money into advanced aerospace research, as evidenced by its many experimental X-plane aircraft and rockets. NASA's X-Planes asks a simple question: What have we gained from it all? To answer this question, the authors provide a comprehensive overview of the X-plane’s long history, from the 1946 X-1 to the modern X-60. The chapters describe not just the technological evolution of these models, but also the wider story of politics, federal budgets, and inter-agency rivalries surrounding them. The book is organized into two sections, with the first covering the operational X-planes that symbolized the Cold War struggle between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R, and the second section surveying post-Cold War aircraft and spacecraft. Featuring dozens of original illustrations of X-plane cross-sections, in-flight profiles, close-ups, and more, this book will educate general readers and specialists alike.

Beyond Blue Skies

Beyond Blue Skies PDF Author: Christopher J. Petty
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
ISBN: 1496223535
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 523

Book Description
In 1945 some experts still considered the so-called sound barrier an impenetrable wall, while winged rocket planes remained largely relegated to science fiction. But soon a series of unique rocket-powered research aircraft and the dedicated individuals who built, maintained, and flew them began to push the boundaries of flight in aviation's quest to move ever higher, ever faster, toward the unknown. Beyond Blue Skies examines the thirty-year period after World War II during which aviation experienced an unprecedented era of progress that led the United States to the boundaries of outer space. Between 1946 and 1975, an ancient dry lakebed in California's High Desert played host to a series of rocket-powered research aircraft built to investigate the outer reaches of flight. The western Mojave's Rogers Dry Lake became home to Edwards Air Force Base, NASA's Flight Research Center, and an elite cadre of test pilots. Although one of them--Chuck Yeager--would rank among the most famous names in history, most who flew there during those years played their parts away from public view. The risks they routinely accepted were every bit as real as those facing NASA's astronauts, but no magazine stories or free Corvettes awaited them--just long days in a close-knit community in the High Desert. The role of not only the test pilots but the engineers, aerodynamicists, and support staff in making supersonic flight possible has been widely overlooked. Beyond Blue Skies charts the triumphs and tragedies of the rocket-plane era and the unsung efforts of the men and women who made amazing achievements possible.

North American X-15

North American X-15 PDF Author: Peter E. Davies
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472819926
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 84

Book Description
The revolutionary X-15 remains the fastest manned aircraft ever to fly. Built in the two decades following World War II, it was the most successful of the high-speed X-planes. The only recently broken 'sound barrier' was smashed completely by the X-15, which could hit Mach 6.7 and soar to altitudes above 350,000ft, beyond the edge of space. Several pilots qualified as astronauts by flying above 50 miles altitude in the X-15, including Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon. The three X-15s made 199 flights, testing new technologies and techniques which greatly eased America's entry into manned space travel, and made the Apollo missions and Space Shuttle viable propositions. With historical photographs and stunning digital artwork, this is the story of arguably the greatest of the X-Planes.

North American X-15 Owner's Workshop Manual

North American X-15 Owner's Workshop Manual PDF Author: Dr. David Baker
Publisher: Haynes Publishing UK
ISBN: 9780857337672
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
A unique Haynes Manual, providing fascinating technical insight into the development and use of rocket planes, focusing on the iconic X-15, which carried out much of the development work for the Apollo and Space Shuttle space programmes. As of July 2015, the X-15 still holds the world record for the highest speed ever attained by a manned aircraft, at 4,520mph (Mach 6.72)! The X-15 was flown by a band of elite test pilots, including the first man to walk on the Moon, Neil Armstrong. The X-15 made 199 flights between 1959 and 1968, several of which were above the line considered to be the arbitrary altitude where space begins. The engaging text, extensively illustrated with period photographs and technical illustrations, explains how the vehicle worked, what it pioneered for future applications in more conventional aircraft and manned spacecraft developed by NASA from 1958, and what it was like to fly.

Megafast Planes

Megafast Planes PDF Author: John Farndon
Publisher: Hungry Tomato ®
ISBN: 1512406848
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 36

Book Description
Are you ready to take off with the world's fastest supersonic aircraft? Strap yourself in for a trip in the MiG-25 Foxbat interceptor and clock up to 2,100 mph (3,380 kmh/h)! Soar in the NAA X-15 rocket plane, which set a record of 4,520 mph (7,274 km/h) in 1967! Hop into the world's fastest jet, the NASA Hyper X-43 scramjet, but hang on—it has the potential to go 7,000 mph (11,265 km/h)! Detailed illustrations put you in the cockpits of these mighty, streaking aircraft, while bite-sized facts explain how they work, their pilots' daring risks, and the thrill of supersonic flight.
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