Image Category
Latest News
Our Favorites
Information
Products: 8467
Categories: 328
Prices: US Dollars
Categories: 328
Prices: US Dollars
North American X-15 
| Image | Description | ||
 |
X-15 aircraft launched from Boeing B-52 The X-15 rocket-powered aircraft was taken aloft under the wing of a B-52. Because of the large fuel consumption, the X-15 was air launched from a B-52 mothership aircraft at 45,000 ft and a speed of about 500 mph. This was one of the early powered flights using a pair of XLR-11 engines (until the XLR-99 became available). |
|
|
 |
X-15 aircraft reach speed record of 4,520 mph After receiving a full scale ablative coating to protect the craft from the high temperatures associated with high-Mach-number supersonic flight, the X-15A-2 (56-6671) rocket powered research aircraft was then covered with a white sealant coat and mounted with additional external fuel tanks. This ablative coating and sealant would help the X-15A-2 aircraft reach the record speed of 4,520 mph (Mach 6.7). |
|
|
 |
X-15 aircraft under wing of B-52 before launch X-15 rocket powered aircraft was taken aloft under the wing of a B-52. Because of the large fuel consumption, the X-15 was air launched from a B-52 aircraft at 45,000 ft and a speed of about 500 mph. This photo was taken from one of the observation windows in the B-52 shortly before dropping the X-15. |
|
|
 |
X-15 Crew and personnel, Edwards AFB X-15 personnel commemorating all three X-15's being flown during the same week. February 7, 1961 Back Row, left to right: John "Bill" Lovett, John E. Huntington, Homer Hall, Robert E. "Bob" Allen, Lorenzo "Larry" Barnett, Charles "Charlie" Russell, Sylvester Weeks Kneeling, left to right: Gilbert "Gil" Kincaid, George E. Trott, Joseph "Joe" Huxman, Willard Glasscock |
|
|
 |
X-15 flight simulator at Edwards AFB One of the major advances in aircraft development, pilot training, mission planning, and research flight activities in the 1950s and 1960s was the use of simulators. For the X-15, a computer was programmed with the flight characteristics of the aircraft. Before actually flying a mission, a research pilot could discover many potential problems with the aircraft or the mission while still on the ground by "flying" the simulator. The problem could then be analyzed by engineers and a solution found. This did much to improve safety. The X-15 simulator was very limited compared to those available in the 21st century. The video display was simple, while the computer was analog rather than digital (although it became hybrid in 1964 with the addition of a digital computer for the X-15A-2; this generated the nonlinear aerodynamic coefficients for the modified No. 2 aircraft). The nonlinear aerodynamic function generators used in the X-15 simulator had hundreds of fuses, amplifiers, and potentiometers without any surge protection. After the simulator was started on a Monday morning, it would be noon before it had warmed up and stabilized. The electronics for the X-15 simulator took up many large consoles. |
|
|
 |
X-15 in Edwards AFB paint shop In June 1967, the X-15A-2 rocket-powered research aircraft received a full-scale ablative coating to protect the craft from the high temperatures associated with hypersonic flight (above Mach 5). This pink eraser-like substance, applied to the X-15A-2 aircraft (56-6671), was then covered with a white sealant coat before flight. This coating would help the #2 aircraft reach the record speed of 4,520 mph (Mach 6.7). Paint shop, Building 4821, Edwards Air Force Base. |
|
|
 |
X-15 landing at Edwards with F-104 chase plane North American Aviation X-15 followed by a Lockheed F-104A Starfighter chase plane, the North American X-15 ship #3 (56-6672) sinks toward touchdown on Rogers Dry Lake following a research flight. In the foreground is green smoke, used to indicate wind direction. The F-104 chase pilot joined up with the X-15 as it glided to the landing. The chase pilot was there to warn the X-15 pilot of any problems and to call out the altitude above the lakebed. F-104 aircraft were also used for X-15 pilot training to simulate the landing characteristics of the rocket-powered airplane, which landed without engine power since the rocket engine had already burned all of its propellant before the landing. The F-104s could simulate the steep descent of the X-15 as it glided to a landing, they did this by extending the landing gear and speed brakes while setting the throttle to idle. |
|
|
 |
X-15 on lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base The X-15 ship #3 (56-6672) is seen here on the lakebed at the Edwards Air Force Base, Edwards, California. Ship #3 made 65 flights during the program, attaining a top speed of Mach 5.65 and a maximum altitude of 354,200 feet. Only 10 of the 12 X-15 pilots flew Ship #3, and only eight of them earned their astronaut wings during the program. Robert White, Joseph Walker, Robert Rushworth, John "Jack" McKay, Joseph Engle, William "Pete" Knight, William Dana, and Michael Adams all earned their astronaut wings in Ship #3. Neil Armstrong and Milton Thompson also flew Ship #3. In fact, Armstrong piloted Ship #3 on its first flight, on 20 December 1961. |
|
|
 |
X-15 on lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base The X-15-3 (56-6672), seen here on the lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base, Edwards, California, was a rocket-powered aircraft 50 ft long with a wingspan of 22 ft. It was a missile-shaped vehicle with an unusual wedge-shaped vertical tail, thin stubby wings, and unique side fairings that extended along the side of the fuselage. The X-15 weighed about 14,000 lb empty and approximately 34,000 lb at launch. The XLR-99 rocket engine, manufactured by Thiokol Chemical Corp., was pilot controlled and was capable of developing 57,000 lb of thrust. North American Aviation built three X-15 aircraft for the program. |
|
|
 |
X-15 Pilot Jack McKay makes emergency crash landing on Mud Lake On 9 November 1962, an engine failure forced Jack McKay, a NASA research pilot, to make an emergency landing at Mud Lake, Nevada, in the second X-15 (56-6671); its landing gear collapsed and the X-15 flipped over on its back. McKay was promptly rescued by an Air Force medical team standing by near the launch site, and eventually recovered to fly the X-15 again. Test pilot Jack McKay injuries were more serious than at first thought, eventually forced his retirement from NASA. The aircraft was sent back to the manufacturer, where it underwent extensive repairs and modifications. It returned to Edwards in February 1964 as the X-15A-2, with a longer fuselage (52 ft 5 in) and external fuel tanks. |
|
|
 |
X-15 Pilot Scott Crossfield makes emergency landing on Rosamond Dry Lake A series of ground and in-flight accidents occurred during the X-15's contractor program, fortunately without injuries or even greatly delaying the program. On 5 November 1959 a small engine fire started and forced pilot Scott Crossfield to make an emergency landing on Rosamond Dry Lake. The X-15, not designed to land with fuel, came down with a heavy load of propellants and broke its back, grounding this particular X-15, ship #2 (56-6671), for three months. |
|
|
 |
X-15 research flight with ramjet engine This photo shows the X-15A-2 (56-6671) on a research flight with a ramjet engine attached to the bottom of its wedge-shaped vertical tail. One of the experiments planned for the X-15A-2 involved tests of a functional ramjet at speeds above Mach 5. This photo was taken with a dummy ramjet. On this research flight, the X-15A-2 did not carry the two drop tanks used on its Mach 6.7 flight. It also had not yet been covered with an ablative coating. The X-15A-2 made several flights with the dummy ramjet, leading to the record Mach 6.7 flight on October 3, 1967. Delays in producing the operational ramjet, aerodynamic heating damage to the aircraft during the record flight (despite the ablative coating), and the end of the X-15 program in 1968 resulted in no flights with the actual ramjet. |
|
|
 |
X-15 Rocket Aircraft on lakebed at Edwards AFB The X-15 aircraft, ship #1 (56-6670), sits on the lakebed early in its illustrious career of high speed flight research. The X-15 was a rocket-powered aircraft 50 ft long with a wingspan of 22 ft. It was a missile-shaped vehicle with an unusual wedge-shaped vertical tail, thin stubby wings, and unique side fairings that extended along the side of the fuselage. The X-15 weighed about 14,000 lb empty and approximately 34,000 lb at launch. |
|
|
 |
X-15 test pilots Engle, Rushworth, McKay, Knight, Thompson and Bill Dana X-15 test pilots, left to right; Air Force Captain Joseph H. Engle, Air Force Major Robert A. Rushworth, NASA pilot John B. "Jack" McKay, Air Force pilot William J. "Pete" Knight, NASA pilot Milton O. Thompson, and NASA pilot Bill Dana. Of their 125 X-15 flights, 8 were above the 50 miles that constituted the Air Force's definition of the beginning of space "Engle 3, Dana 2, Rushworth, Knight, and McKay one each." NASA used the international definition of space as beginning at 62 miles above the earth. |
|
|
 |
X-15 test pilots Milton Thompson, William Bill Dana and John Jack McKay NASA test pilots Milton O. Thompson, William H. "Bill" Dana, and John B. "Jack" McKay are seen here in front of the #2 X-15 (56-6671) rocket-powered research aircraft. Among them, the three NASA research test pilots made 59 flights in the X-15 (14 for Thompson, 16 for Dana, and 29 for McKay). |
|
|
 |
X-15 under wing of NASA B-52 mothership X-15 rocket-powered research aircraft being carried aloft under the wing of its B-52 mothership. The X-15 was air launched from the B-52 so the rocket plane would have enough fuel to reach its high speed and altitude test points. NASA B-52, Tail Number 008, is an air launch carrier aircraft, "mothership," as well as a research aircraft platform that has been used on a variety of research projects. The aircraft, a "B" model built in 1952 and first flown on June 11, 1955, is the oldest B-52 in flying status and has been used on some of the most significant research projects in aerospace history. |
|
|
 |
X-15 with ablative coating for record speed "Mach 6.7" In June 1967, the X-15A-2 rocket powered research aircraft received a full-scale ablative coating to protect the aircraft from the high temperatures associated with supersonic flight. First a pink eraser-like substance is applied to the #2 aircraft (56-6671), was then covered with a white sealant coat before flight. This coating would help the #2 aircraft reach the record speed of 4,520 mph "Mach 6.7." |
|
|
 |
X-15 with ablative coating to protect aircraft from record speed "Mach 6.7" In June 1967, the X-15A-2 rocket powered research aircraft received a full-scale ablative coating to protect the craft from the high temperatures associated with supersonic flight. This pink eraser-like substance, applied to the #2 aircraft (56-6671), was then covered with a white sealant coat before flight. This coating would help the #2 aircraft reach the record speed of 4,520 mph (Mach 6.7). |
|
|
 |
X-15 with ablative paint and external tanks X-15A-2 with full scale ablative and external tanks installed parked in front of hangar. August 4, 1967. In June 1967, the X-15A-2 rocket-powered research aircraft received a full-scale ablative coating to protect the craft from the high temperatures associated with hypersonic flight (above Mach 5). This pink eraser-like substance, applied to the X-15A-2 aircraft (56-6671), was then covered with a white sealant coat before flight. This coating would help the #2 aircraft reach the record speed of 4,520 mph (Mach 6.7). |
|
|
 |
X-15 with B-52 mothership fly's overhead As crew members secure the X-15 rocket-powered aircraft after a research flight, the B-52 mothership used for launching this unique aircraft does a low fly-by overhead. The X-15s made a total of 199 flights over a period of nearly 10 years 1959 to 1968 and set unofficial world speed and altitude records of 4,520 mph (Mach 6.7) and 354,200. Information gained from the highly successful X-15 program contributed to the development of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo piloted spaceflight programs, and also the Space Shuttle program. |
|
|
 |
X-15 with pilots and crew X-15 with pilots and crew, in Cockpit, Edward "Ed" Nice, on Ladder, Thomas "Tom" McAlister, Back Row, left to right: William Clark, Edward "Ed" Sabo, Donald "Don" Hall, Billy Furr, Allen Dustin, Raymond "Ray" White, George E. Trott, Alfred "Al" Grieshaber, Merle Curtis, LeRoy "Lee" Adelsbach, Allen Lowe, Jay L. King, Lorenzo "Larry" Barnett. Kneeling, left to right: Byron Gibbs, Price "Bob" Workman, Ira Cupp, John Gordon, Edwards AFB, July 16, 1962. |
|
|
 |
X-15 with two XLR-11 engines The X-15 (56-6670), seen here on the lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base, Edwards, California. This X-15 was still equipped with two XLR-11 engines designed and built by Reaction Motors, pending installation of the XLR-99 engine, which first flew on November 15, 1960. |
|
|
 |
X-15A-2 next to paint shop at Edwards AFB X-15A-2 is rolled out of the paint shop after having the full scale ablative applied at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards AFB. June 23, 1967 In June 1967, the X-15A-2 rocket-powered research aircraft received a full-scale ablative coating to protect the craft from the high temperatures associated with hypersonic flight (above Mach 5). This pink eraser-like substance, applied to the X-15A-2 aircraft (56-6671), was then covered with a white sealant coat before flight. This coating would help the #2 aircraft reach the record speed of 4,520 mph (Mach 6.7). |
|
Shopping Basket
Your basket is empty.
0Items in cart:
$0.00Total:
$0.00Total:
Popular Photos
_02.jpg "W.C. Fields in \"Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch\"")
Mailing List
Subscribe to our mailing list below:
About Us
|
Contact Us
|
Terms & Conditions
|
Privacy Policy
|
Methods of Payment
|
Copyright & Trademark
|
Our Guarantee
|
RSS Feeds
