X-15 launch from a Boeing B-52. This is a flight of the first X-15 aircraft, dropped from its NB-52A carrier aircraft on 12 May 1960 with NASA test pi
X-15 launch from a Boeing B-52. This is a flight of the first X-15 aircraft, dropped from its NB-52A carrier aircraft on 12 May 1960 with NASA test pilot Joe Walker (1921-1966) at the controls. 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 ).
Size: 4726px × 3717px
Photo credit: © NASA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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