Engineered to be the worlds fastest aircraft, the north american x15 was a hypersonic. Jan 15, 2016 among the 12 pilots who flew the x 15 were future apollo 11 commander neil armstrong and space shuttle astronaut joe engle. The north american x 10 model rtva5 was an unmanned technology demonstrator, developed by north american aviation. Those of us in the program at flight 190 thought that the x15 would continue indefinitely. North american aviation built three x 15 aircraft for the program. Hypersonic flight is flight through the atmosphere below about 90 km at speeds above mach 5, a speed where dissociation of air begins to become significant and high heat loads exist. Recognizing the impact individuals have had on the development of the field, hansen and his team convey not only a history of aircraft technology, but also a col. Lessons learned in the highspeed aerodynamic research. The christian science monitor daily for march 31, 2020. The pentagon aims to test a full hypersonic weapon system by 2023, seeking to draw level with russia and china, which have touted their own development of hypersonic. This is the most extensively researched history of the x15 program yet produced, written with the cooperation of surviving x15 pilots as well as many other program principals. Nineteen years before space shuttle, the small, black, rocketpowered, bulletshaped x15 showed it was possible to fly into and out of space. The story of the north american x15 by jenkins and landis. Walker on may 12, 1960 and the first man to take the x 15 past mach 4, 5, and 6 was major robert m.
The story of the north american x15 revised edition. Subsonic flight tests of the 17scale model of the north. The north american x 15 rocket plane was perhaps the most important of the usafusn x series of experimental aircraft. In the 1950s and 1960s a variety of experimental scramjet engines. X1 to x45, by jay miller, midland counties publishing, 2001. From 1959 through 1968 a decadelong research program employed the north american aviation x15 to explore hypersonic flight and technologies needed for space flight. After completing approximately 200 missions, the data of interest had been gathered. North american x15 experimental plane fighter aircraft. Stay up to date on the latest stories and events with our newsletter learn more.
The story of the north american x15 specialty press by dennis r. The xlr99 rocket engine, manufactured by thiokol chemical corp. The story of the north american x15 revised edition specialty press at. The main obstacle this book has to overcome is dennis jenkins and tony landis superb hypersonic. The story of the pilot who flew the north american x15.
Jenkins 2003 specialtypress can be ordered now from this web page or search from the specialtypress home page x15 photo scrapbook tony r. The book was written with the cooperation of surviving x15 pilots as well as many other program principals and is based on six years of research in air force, nasa, and north american archives. Pdf north american x 15 download full pdf book download. Animated images are excerpts from a film clip available on the nasa dryden web site, nasa movie number em003303. The x15 set speed and altitude records in the 1960s, reaching the edge of outer space and returning with valuable data used in aircraft and spacecraft design. Jan 15, 2016 the rocketpowered x 15 was carried to an altitude of about 12,000 meters 40,000 feet under the wing of a boeing b52 bomber and then drop launched. North american x15 rocketpowered aircraft north american. The history of the rocket plane from the x1 to the x15 to the space shuttle in all regions dvd format. Transglobal airlines has joined the battle of domestic airlines and intends to win the war. Photograph above displays typical highspeed research aircraft that made headlines at muroc flight center in the 1950s. The north american x 15 was a hypersonic rocketpowered aircraft operated by the united states air force and the national aeronautics and space administration as part of the x plane series of experimental aircraft. North american x 15 the x 15 program is a direct successor to the series of supersonic research aircraft that began with the x 1 in 1946. Hypersonics is the study of flight at speeds where.
Nobody was seriously hurt and north american subsequently. This research was prompted by a problem that had occurred with the u. There are several technical challenges for hypersonic vehicle development, such as hypersonic propulsion, integrated aerothermal structure and advance groundtesting facilities. Theories and technologies for duplicating hypersonic.
Eight x 15 pilots flew higher than 80 kilometers 50 miles above the earth and were thus awarded astronaut wings. The north american x15page contains all related products, articles, books, walkarounds and plastic scale modeling projects dedicated this aircraft. Navy meeting on july 9, 1954, firmed up requirements. Some of the xplanes have been well publicized, while others, such as the x16, have been developed in secrecy. The first, the bell x1, became well known in 1947 after it became the first aircraft to break the sound barrier in level flight. It was the ultimate flying machine, no airplane can live up to what the x15 did. Theories and technologies for duplicating hypersonic flight conditions for ground testing. A project by north american and nasa to construct a prototype to reach a top speed of mach 6 or 4,520 mph 7,274 kmh at an altitude of almost 100,000 feet in 1961. The x 15 weighed about 14,000 lb empty and approximately 34,000 lb at launch. Download now the north american x15 was the last in a line of manned rocketpowered research airplanes built during the 1950s to explore everfaster and higher flight regimes.
In addition, the intelligence community heavily leveraged military investments to. The book picks up the story of the xplanes at the transition from the x1 and x2 to the next big thing, a manned aircraft built to go hypersonic. This book is the most extensively researched history of the x15 program yet published. The north american x15 rocketpowered research aircraft bridged the gap between manned. For most folks in the 1950s and 1960s, north american s legendary x15 remains the greatest xplane ever. Subsonic flight tests of the 17scale model of the north american x15. This particular copy of the image was imported from the nasa headquarters home page for x 15 history. Russia is the first country to deploy a hypersonic nuclear missile. For most folks in the 1950s and 1960s, north americans legendary x15 remains the greatest xplane ever.
The x15 was a fascinating rocket plane, sometimes called the first spacecraft and sometimes called the last great research plane. Model features anigrand craftswork resin model kit of. May 16, 2016 the north american x 15 was a hypersonic rocketpowered aircraft operated by the united states air force and the national aeronautics and space administration as part of the x plane series of. The x 15 emerged from a combined us air force and us navy request for a research aircraft to reach altitudes of 250,000 ft and speeds exceeding mach 6.
The x15s pioneering flights set records that still have not been broken four decades later, including a top speed of. The 3 north american x15 research aircraft, the most successful research aircraft in history, have flown faster and higher than any other manned aircraft. The x15 set speed and altitude records in the early 1960s, reaching the edge of outer space and returning with valuable data used in. North american x15 orbiter space flight simulator 2010. The north american x15 was a rocketpowered aircraft operated by the united states air force usaf and the national aeronautics and space administration nasa as part of the x.
The story of a rocket test pilot, by scott crossfield, the world publishing. White flew the north american x15 at a mach number of 6. Thats what retired test pilot and astronaut joe engle said of the first real space plane and 50 years after. After completing its initial test flights in 1959, the x15 became the first winged aircraft to attain velocities of mach 4, 5, and 6. Shown images are of much lower quality, due to resizing. North american x15 manual 2016 owners workshop manual. The north american x15, a rocketpowered research aircraft, bridged the gap between manned flight in the atmosphere and space flight. The vc supplement is available as a free download on the xtreme prototypes web site.
Buy north american x15 manual 2016 owners workshop manual by david baker isbn. Hi, today i am presenting you the story of the north american x15, it was one of most important nasa program back in the time and gave to nasa many important innovations for its conquest of space. X15 contributions to aerospace x15tale of the tape. Why was rocketpowered north american x15 jet discontinued. This was an era before computers were commonplace, and the only way to investigate the unknown was to go there. This documentary focuses on the legendary x15, featuring rare and beautiful color footage with exclusive interviews with chuck yeager, scott crossfield, john young, robert crippen and more 1981, color, 1. Neil armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, was also an x 15 test pilot. North american x15 experimental aircraft the largest free.
This 60 year old aircraft is so fast it can reach space. It was a subscale reusable design that included many of the design features of the sm64 navaho missile. The north american x15page contains all related products, articles, books, walkarounds and plastic scale modeling projects dedicated to this aircraft. While that book is a more polished and indepth affair than this manual, this book is nonetheless a very solid reference work in its own right. Aug 22, 2014 the xtreme prototypes x151 rocket aircraft package comes with the original x151 over 100page, pdf format utility flight manual and a 20page vc manual supplement english and french, both inspired from the realworld x15 manuals. The north american x15 was a hypersonic rocketpowered aircraft operated by the united states air force and the national aeronautics and space administration as part of the xplane series of. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Nasa facts x15 hypersonic research program 1998 north. In this chapter the committee discusses the background of the study, provides a brief technical prologue, presents the statement of task for the study, describes the strategy for conducting the study, and delineates the plan for the remainder of the report.
Now osprey recaps the pioneering program in north american x15 third in its growing xplanes series. The north american x15 was a hypersonic rocketpowered aircraft operated by the united. Jay miller collection the early test flights were conducted with a long air data probe protruding from the nose of the x15. The final x15 flight occurred in october of 1968, a full three years before i was even born, so it wasnt like it was a program that was present during my upbringing. This included free flights north american had to demonstrate each aironly, not captivecarries or aborts.
North american aviation x 15 x 15a2 ben guenther, jay miller, terry panopalis 1985, aerofax, inc. Describes how the x15 aircraft was designed and built by north american aviation. The remainder of a typical 8 to 12minute flight was without power and ended in a glide landing. The fastest xplane mach 7 north american x15 youtube. North american x15 is an osprey x planes series book, authored in great detail by peter davies. Eight x15 pilots flew higher than 80 kilometers 50 miles above the earth and were thus awarded astronaut wings. The north american x15 was the last in a line of manned rocketpowered research airplanes built during the 1950s to explore everfaster and higher flight regimes. It served its purpose, which was to study the effects of hypersonic flight. Later xplanes supported important research in a multitude of aerodynamic and technical fields, but only. The flights of the north american x15, an experimental american spaceplane built by north american aviation and operated by the united states air force and nasa, were conducted from 19591968. Nasa facts x15 hypersonic research program 1998 free download as pdf file. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. Original painting of x 15 entering space is on display at nasa dryden and is reproduced widely on the web and in printed sources.
Twelve pilots flew three x15 planes, flying record highaltitude flights, highspeed flights, and sub. Precursor to a new addition to x15 adventure stories. The second position was the flight number for as part of the x15s contractor program, that specific x15. The story of the north american x15 revised edition specialty. Impingement and interference heating on the x152 research airplane pdf. Testing the first supersonic aircraft nf166 january 1992 memoirs of naca pilot bob champine excerpted from wings magazine, february 1991 edition. Depending on the mission, the rocket engine provided thrust for the first 80 to 120 seconds of flight. The north american x 15 was a rocketpowered aircraft operated by the united states air force and the national aeronautics and space administration nasa as part of the x plane series of experimental aircraft. The north american x15 was a hypersonic rocketpowered aircraft operated by the united states air force and the national aeronautics and space administration as part of the xplane series of experimental aircraft.
The story of the north american x15 ebook written by dennis r. Theyre just great books, wellresearched and engaging. The story of the north american x15 revised edition specialty press jenkins, dennis, landis, tony on. The incredible spy plane concept teases a terrifying future where war planes could attack locations and then retreat in the blink of an eye boeing has finally unveiled a successor to the legendary blackbird sr71 spy plane, capable of travelling at five times the speed of sound. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read hypersonic.
After its initial test flights in 1959, the x15 became the first winged aircraft to attain hypersonic velocities of mach 4, 5, and 6 four to six times the speed of sound and to operate at altitudes well above. The x 15 remains the fastest and highest flying manned aircraft ever flown, and is regarded by many as the most important research plane in history. In 1955, while navy decided to save the development cost and not to be put in the dissenting vote position, naca and the air force agreed with the north american s proposal as the winner of the competition which became the x 15 program. The sleek, swarthy stiletto snagged performance records that still stand helping forge repute that remains today. The x15 had a 600,000horsepower engine and could fly twice as fast as a rifle bullet. In the joint x 15 hypersonic research program that nasa conducted with the air force, the navy, and north american aviation, inc. In the early 1950s some supersonic aerodynamic research was begun that was related to missile systems.
Among the 12 pilots who flew the x15 were future apollo 11 commander neil armstrong and space shuttle astronaut joe engle. North american x 15 aircraft operated by the usaf and nasa as part of the x plane experimental aircraft series north american x 15 rocketpowered aircraft north american aviation usaf, nasa envelope. Although not as famous as the bell x1, the x15 set numerous speed and altitude records in the early 1960s, reaching the edge of space and bringing back valuable data that was used in the design of later aircraft and spacecraft. Although not as famous as the bell x 1, the x 15 set numerous speed and altitude records in the early 1960s, reaching the edge of space and bringing back valuable data that was used in the design of later aircraft and spacecraft. The north american x15 rocket plane was perhaps the most important of the usafusn xseries of experimental aircraft. Of all the x15 missions, two flights by the same pilot qualified as space flights, per the international fai definition of a spaceflight by exceeding a 100 kilometer 62. Except for specialized rocket research vehicles like the north american x15 and other rocketpowered spacecraft, aircraft top speeds have remained level, generally in the range of mach 1 to mach 3. Air force, updated houstons history in 1987 as part of. There is no real reason i should have a fascination with the x15 project. The north american x15 was a rocketpowered aircraft operated by the united states air force and the national aeronautics and space administration nasa as part of the xplane series of experimental aircraft. Air force and naca while the x 1 and x 1a projects were still underway. In the companys plans is the purchase of the worlds first hypersonic passenger jet, capable of transoceanic flight at mach 6.