Forty Years ago in the X-15 Flight Test Program, Table of Contents |
Forty years ago, the three X-15 rocket planes were the pinnacle of aerospace engineering. They were capable of higher speeds and altitudes than any other piloted vehicle. Except for the Space Shuttle, they are still the fastest and highest flying winged vehicles ever. This series of pages follows the history of the X-15 program, tracking the events as they occurred forty years ago.
1959 - January
1960, a series of three flights were made with the X-15-1
captive on the wing of the NB-52A. The X-15-2 was first displayed
to the public at the 1959 Air Force Flight Test Center Open House
Display alongside the NB-52A. Scott Crossfield made the first
glide flight in the X-15-1. He then made three powered flights
testing the pair of XLR-11 rocket engines in the X-15-2. An
engine explosion cut the third powered flight short, and the
fuselage of the X-15 broke when it landed heavy.
January - April
1960, Scott Crossfield made the first powered flight of the
X-15-1, after which it was transferred to NASA. He expanded the
flight envelope of the X-15-2 following its return to Edwards Air
Force Base. Joe Walker and Bob White made the first NASA flights
of the X-15-1.
April - May 1960,
reaction control thrusters were installed in the X-15-2. Joe
Walker exceeded Mach 3 in the X-15-1. The X-15-1 and X-15-2 were
displayed at the 1960 Air Force Flight Test Center Open House
Display with the NB-52B.
June - August
1960, a series of attempts were made to launch Joe Walker in
the X-15-1 to make an assault on Mel Apt's speed record. The
X-15-3 arrived at Edwards Air Force Base with the XLR-99 engine.
The engine exploded during a ground test run, nearly destroying
the X-15-3. After a two month hiatus, Joe Walker set a new speed
record in the X-15-1, and Bob White set a new altitude record.
August - October
1960, The X-15-2 was out of service until the installation of
its XLR-99 engine in September. Walker and White collected
control and performance data and new pilots Commander Forrest
Petersen and NASA pilot Jack McKay were checked out in the
X-15-1. A series of technical difficulties postponed Crossfield's
first flight with the XLR-99 installed in the X-15-2.
November 1960,
Captain Robert Rushworth and Neil Armstrong made their first
flights in the X-15-1, and Scott Crossfield piloted the first
X-15 flight powered by the XLR-99 engine.
November 1960 -
January 1961, Scott Crossfield concluded the North American
contractor demonstration of the X-15 equipped with the XLR-99
rocket engine.
February - March
1961, Major Robert White flew the last X-15 mission powered
by the XLR-11 twin pack of rocket engines. NASA conducted its
first operations with the X-15-2 which had received a new nose.
The X-15 made the first mach-4 flight and set a new altitude
record.
April - June
1961, Joe Walker and Major Bob White set three new speed
records in the X-15-2, including the first flight faster than
Mach 5. Frank Sinatra's Essex Productions filmed scenes for the
movie X-15 at the Air Force Flight Test Center.
July - August
1961, Commander Forrest Petersen made the first flight of the
X-15-1 with the XLR-99 engine.
September -
November 1961, Four pilots made six X-15 flights. The maximum
Mach number attained by the X-15 was increased on three occasions
and the altitude record was increased from 169,600 to 217,000
feet. The X-15 attained Mach 6, the goal originally established
for the program. On two occasions, one of the panes of the
windshield broke as the X-15-2 was decelerating after setting a
new speed record. Major Robert Rushworth made one flight with the
lower ventral removed to evaluate the stability of the X-15 in
that configuration.
November 1961-
March 1962, Following the achievment of the X-15's design
maximum mach number on November 9, 1961, the emphasis of the
program shifted from envelope expansion to flight research at
high mach numbers and altitudes. Repairs to the X-15-3 were
completed North American at El Segundo, and it returned to
Edwards Air Force Base for its first flight a year and a half
after it exploded in the rocket engine test stand.
April 1962,
No X-15 missions were launched between January 17 and the
beginning of April 1962. The pace of the program picked up
significantly in April. Sixteen X-15 missions would be launched
in the next four months. The X-15-3 was expanding its altitude
envelope. The X-15-2 was slated to evaluate airframe heating, and
the X-15-1 was expected to set another new altitude record.
At the beginning of May 1962,
Major Robert Rushworth was preparing to fly an airframe heating
investigation with the X-15-2, but first it would be carried
across the country by the NB-52A to appear at the Eglin Air Force
Base airshow. Major Bob White was planning to evaluate the
performance of the Alternate Stability Augmentation System (ASAS)
of the X-15-1 at high angle of attack.
It has been asserted that the Boeing NB-52B Stratofortress, carrying Air Force serial 52-0008, can lay claim to being the airplane that has seen and participated in more history than any other single airplane. For forty-five years, the NB-52B was a fixture at Edwards Air Force Base. While the NB-52B is most famous for launching the three North American X-15 rocket planes, it continued to serve in the role of launch platform for a multitude of programs until its final mission on November 16, 2004. It was the oldest flying B-52 by nearly ten years.The NB-52B launched the three X-15 hypersonic rocket planes.
It launched the Northrop HL-10, Northrop M2-F2/F3, Martin Marietta X-24A and Martin Marietta X-24B lifting bodies.
It simulated the steep, power off approach to landing used by the Space Shuttles.
It assisted in the collection of data about wake turbulence from large aircraft.
It served as an air-to-air gunnery target.
It launched 3/8-scale F-15 Remotely Piloted Research Vehicles (RPRV) and Spin Research Vehicles (SRV).
It launched a Ryan Firebee II drone and the Ryan Firebee based Drones for Aeroelastic Structures Testing (DAST).
It launched the Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology (HiMAT) RPRVs.
It dropped the 48,000-pound Space Shuttle Reusable Booster Drop Test Vehicle (SRB/DTV).
It released a simulated F-111 crew module from its bomb bay to evaluate new parachute recovery systems.
It was the first airplane to launch a satellite into orbit on the Orbital Sciences Pegasus booster.
It tested the drag chute used to decelerate space shuttle orbiters.
It tested pollution reducing fuel additives with a pair of jet engines mounted under its bomb bay.
It launched the X-38 Space Station Crew Return Vehicles.
It launched the X-43A Hyper-X Supersonic Combustion Ramjets.
The book is 200 pages long. It contains 246 color photographs, 89 black and white photographs, and 2 other illustrations.
You can preview the first several pages of the book.
Books are printed on demand by Lulu.com. When you order one, it is placed in your Lulu.com shopping cart. Lulu.com prints, packages, and ships the book direct to you.
Put a copy of the softcover edition of Balls Eight: History of the Boeing NB-52B Stratofortress Mothership in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $74.95.
Put a copy of the hardcover edition of Balls Eight: History of the Boeing NB-52B Stratofortress Mothership in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $79.95.
If you can get your hands on a Monogram 1/72-scale Boeing NB-52B Stratofortress with X-15A-2 kit and a set of Cutting Edge NB-52 decals, you need this book to help you establish the appropriate paint scheme for any particular mission that you want to model.
The book is 96 pages long.
You can preview the first several pages of the book.
Books are printed on demand by Lulu.com. When you order one, it is placed in your Lulu.com shopping cart. Lulu.com prints, packages, and ships the book direct to you.
Put a copy of the softcover edition of Painting Guide for the Boeing Stratofortress Motherships in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $44.95.
Send a message to Brian
Go to home page of the Goleta Air & Space Museum.