X-15 aircraft test pilots. US test pilots (left to right) Scott Crossfield (1921-2006), Bob White (1924-2010) and Neil Armstrong (1930-2012) at the 19
X-15 aircraft test pilots. US test pilots (left to right) Scott Crossfield (1921-2006), Bob White (1924-2010) and Neil Armstrong (1930-2012) at the 1961 delivery ceremony for the second X-15 aircraft. The X-15 was a rocket-powered research aircraft designed to investigate flight at hypersonic speeds. Three X-15s flew a total of 199 missions between 1959 and 1968. The X-15 was carried into the air by a converted B-52 bomber and released at high altitude. The pilot then ignited the X-15's rocket motor. It was the first plane to reach the edge of outer space and set records for the fastest manned aircraft (7,274 kilometres per hour, or Mach ).
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Photo credit: © NASA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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