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65 Years Ago: First Factory Rollout of the X-15 Hypersonic Rocket Plane

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On Oct. 15, 1958, the first X-15 hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft rolled out of its factory. A joint project among NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Navy, the X-15 greatly expanded our knowledge of flight at speeds exceeding Mach 6 and altitudes above 250,000 feet. Between 1959 and 1968, 12 pilots completed 199 missions, achieving ever-higher speeds and altitudes while gathering data on the aerodynamic and thermal performance of the aircraft flying to the edge of space and beyond and returning to Earth. The X-15 served as a platform for a series of experiments studying the unique hypersonic environment. The program experienced several mishaps and one fatal crash. Knowledge gained during X-15 missions influenced the development of future programs such as the space shuttle.

Rollout of the first X-15 hypersonic research rocket plane North American pilot A. Scott Crossfield poses in front of the X-15-1 Rear view of the X-15-1
Left: Rollout of the first X-15 hypersonic research rocket plane at the North American Aviation facility in Los Angeles. Middle: North American pilot A. Scott Crossfield poses in front of the X-15-1. Right: Rear view of the X-15-1, showing the twin XLR-11 rocket engines used on early test flights.

The origins of the X-15 date to 1952, when the Committee on Aerodynamics of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) adopted a resolution to expand their research portfolio to study flight up to altitudes between 12 and 50 miles and Mach numbers between 4 and 10. The Air Force and Navy agreed and conducted joint feasibility studies at NACA’s field centers. On Dec. 30, 1954, the U.S. Air Force released a Request for Proposals (RPF) for aerospace firms to bid on building the experimental hypersonic aircraft. Four companies submitted proposals with the Air Force selecting North American Aviation, Los Angeles, as the winning bid on Sept. 30, 1955, awarding the contract in November. The Air Force held a separate competition for the aircraft’s XLR-99 rocket engine, a 57,000-pound throttleable single-chamber engine. The process began with release of the RFP on Feb. 4, 1955, and selection in February 1956 of the Reaction Motors Division of Thiokol Chemical Corporation. Delays in the development of the XLR-99 engine required North American to rely on a pair of four-nozzle XLR-11 engines, similar to the one that powered the X-1 on its historic sound-barrier breaking flight in 1947. Providing only 16,000 pounds of thrust, this left the X-15 significantly underpowered for the first 17 months of test flights. On Oct. 1, 1958, the new National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) incorporated the NACA centers and inherited the X-15 project, just two weeks before rollout from the factory of the first flight article.

Crowds gather to admire the first X-15 after its rollout from the North American Aviation plant Workers at Edwards Air Force Base in California lift the first X-15 off its delivery truck
Left: Crowds gather to admire the first X-15 after its rollout from the North American Aviation plant in Los Angeles. Right: Workers at Edwards Air Force Base in California lift the first X-15 off its delivery truck.

On Oct. 15, 1958, the rollout of the first of the three aircraft took place with some fanfare at North American’s Los Angeles facility. Vice President Richard M. Nixon and news media attended the festivities, as did North American X-15 project manager Harrison A. “Stormy” Storms and several of the early X-15 pilots. After the conclusion of the ceremonies, workers wrapped the aircraft, placed it on a flatbed truck, and drove it overnight to the High Speed Flight Station, today NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) in California’s Mojave Desert. Even before this first aircraft took to the skies, North American rolled out X-15-2 on Feb. 27, 1959. The third aircraft, equipped with the LR-99 engine and a more advanced adaptive flight control system, rounded out the small fleet in 1960.

Diagram showing the two main profiles used by the X-15, either for altitude or speed The twin XLR-11 engines and the more powerful XLR-99 engine used to power the X-15
Left: Diagram showing the two main profiles used by the X-15, either for altitude or speed. Right: The twin XLR-11 engines, left, and the more powerful XLR-99 engine used to power the X-15.

Like earlier X-planes, a carrier aircraft, in this case two modified B-52 Stratofortresses, released the 34,000-pound X-15 at an altitude of 45,000 feet to conserve its fuel for the research mission. Flights took place within the High Range, extending from Wendover AFB in Utah to the Rogers Dry Lake landing zone adjacent to Edwards AFB, with emergency landing zones along the way. Typical missions lasted eight to 12 minutes and followed either a high-altitude or a high-speed profile following launch from the B-52 and ignition of the rocket engine. After burnout of the engine, the pilot guided the aircraft to an unpowered landing on the lakebed runway. To withstand the high temperatures during hypersonic flight and reentry, the X-15’s outer skin consisted of a then-new nickel-chrome alloy called Inconel-X. Because traditional aerodynamic surfaces used for flight control while in the atmosphere do not work in the near vacuum of space, the X-15 used its Ballistic Control System thrusters for attitude control while flying outside the atmosphere. North American pilot A. Scott Crossfield had the primary responsibility for carrying out the initial test flights of the X-15 before handover to NASA and the Air Force.

The first captive flight of the X-15-1 rocket plane takes off under the wing of its B-52 Stratofortress carrier aircraft X-15-1 begins its first unpowered glide flight
Left: With North American Aviation pilot A. Scott Crossfield in the cockpit, the first captive flight of the X-15-1 rocket plane takes off under the wing of its B-52 Stratofortress carrier aircraft. Right: Seconds after release from the B-52, with Crossfield at the controls, the X-15-1 begins its first unpowered glide flight.

With Crossfield at the controls of X-15-1, the first captive flight during which the X-15 remained attached to the B-52’s wing, took place on March 10, 1959. Crossfield completed the first unpowered glide flight of an X-15 on June 8, the flight lasting just five minutes. On Sept. 17, at the controls of X-15-2, Crossfield completed the first powered flight of an X-15, reaching a speed of Mach 2.11 and an altitude of 52,000 feet. Overcoming a few hardware problems, he brought the aircraft to a successful landing after a flight lasting nine minutes. During 12 more flights, Crossfield expanded the aircraft’s flight envelope to Mach 2.97 and 88,116 feet while gathering important data on its flying characteristics. All except his last three flights used the lower thrust LR-11 engines, limiting the aircraft’s speed and altitude. The last three used the powerful LR-99 engine, the one the aircraft was designed for. Crossfield’s 14th flight on Dec. 6, 1960, marked the end of North American’s contracted testing program, turning the X-15 over to the Air Force and NASA.

Chief NASA X-15 pilot Joseph A. “Joe” Walker launches from the B-52 carrier aircraft to begin his first flight Walker following his altitude record-setting flight in 1963 Walker at the controls of the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle in 1964
Left: Chief NASA X-15 pilot Joseph A. “Joe” Walker launches from the B-52 carrier aircraft to begin his first flight. Middle: Walker following his altitude record-setting flight in 1963. Right: Walker at the controls of the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle in 1964.

On March 25, 1960, NASA’s chief X-15 pilot Joseph A. “Joe” Walker, completed the agency’s first flight aboard X-15-1. Walker, one of five NASA pilots to fly the X-15, completed 25 flights aboard the aircraft. On May 12, 1960, Walker took X-15-1 above Mach 3 for the first time. On two of his flights, Walker exceeded the Von Karman line, the internationally recognized boundary of space of 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, earning him astronaut wings. On a third flight, he flew above 50 miles, the altitude the Air Force considered the boundary of space. By that standard, 13 flights by eight X-15 pilots qualified them for Air Force astronaut wings. On Walker’s final flight on Aug. 22, 1963, he flew X-15-3 to an altitude of 354,200 feet, or 67.1 miles, the highest achieved in the X-15 program, and a record for piloted aircraft that stood until surpassed during the final flight of SpaceShipOne on Oct. 4, 2004. After leaving the X-15 program, Walker conducted 35 test flights of the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) between 1964 and 1966, the precursor to the Lunar Landing Training Vehicle that Apollo commanders used to simulate the final several hundred feet of the Lunar Module’s descent to the lunar surface. Tragically, Walker died in a mid-air collision on June 8, 1966, when his F-104 Starfighter struck an XB-70 Valkyrie during a demonstration exercise.

NASA X-15 pilot John B. “Jack” McKay poses with X-15-3 after a mission Rollout of X-15A-2 in 1964, repaired and modified following a landing mishap.
Left: NASA X-15 pilot John B. “Jack” McKay poses with X-15-3 after a mission. Middle: Rollout of X-15A-2 in 1964, repaired and modified following a landing mishap.

The second NASA X-15 pilot, John B. “Jack” McKay completed 29 flights, the most of any NASA pilot. He achieved a maximum speed of Mach 5.65 and reached an altitude of 295,600 feet, qualifying him for Air Force astronaut wings. On Nov. 9, 1962, he suffered serious injuries during a landing mishap on his seventh mission but recovered to make 22 more flights. Engineers at North American not only repaired the damaged X-15-2 but redesignated it as X-15A-2. They extended its fuselage by more than two feet and added two external fuel tanks to enable longer engine burns. McKay made another emergency landing on his 25th flight on May 6, 1966, when the X-15-1’s LR-99 engine shut down prematurely. The aircraft did not incur any damage and McKay suffered no injuries.

NASA pilot Neil A. Armstrong stands next to an X-15 Armstrong sits in Gemini VIII prior to liftoff Armstrong in the Apollo 11 Lunar Module Eagle following his historic Moon walk
Left: NASA pilot Neil A. Armstrong stands next to an X-15. Middle: Armstrong sits in Gemini VIII prior to liftoff. Right: Armstrong in the Apollo 11 Lunar Module Eagle following his historic Moon walk.

Neil A. Armstrong joined NACA as an experimental test pilot in January 1952, and gained experience flying the X-1B supersonic rocket plane. NACA selected him as its third X-15 pilot, and he flew the aircraft seven times. After his first two checkout flights in December 1960, Armstrong spent a year as a consultant on the X-20 Dyna-Soar program before returning to fly his remaining five X-15 missions. Because he helped to develop the adaptive flight control system, on Dec. 20, 1961, Armstrong completed the first flight of X-15-3, rebuilt after an explosion in June 1960 of the LR-99 engine on a test stand destroyed the back of the aircraft. On his sixth flight on April 20, 1962, while trying to maintain a constant g-load during reentry, the aircraft’s attitude caused it to skip out of the atmosphere. This resulted in an overshoot of the landing zone, requiring a high-altitude U-turn, with Armstrong just barely reaching the lakebed runway. Armstrong left the X-15 program when NASA selected him as an astronaut on Sept. 17, 1962. In March 1966, as the Gemini VIII Command Pilot, he executed the first docking in space and then guided the spacecraft back to Earth after the first in-space emergency. On July 20, 1969, during Apollo 11, Armstrong took humanity’s first step on the Moon.

NASA pilot Milton O. Thompson poses in front of X-15-3 Thompson poses in front of the M2-F2 lifting body aircraft after his first flight in 1966
Left: NASA pilot Milton O. Thompson poses in front of X-15-3. Right: Thompson poses in front of the M2-F2 lifting body aircraft after his first flight in 1966.

In June 1963, NASA selected Milton O. “Milt” Thompson as an X-15 pilot, and he completed 14 flights. Although he achieved a maximum speed of Mach 5.48 and reached 214,100 feet, more than half his flights remained at relatively low altitude but high speed to gather data on the effects of high temperatures on the skin of the X-15. Thompson transferred to test fly the experimental M2-F2 lifting body aircraft before giving up flying to manage advanced research projects for NASA, including influencing the design of the space shuttle orbiter. His X-15 experience convinced him that the orbiter did not need jet engines to assist in the landing. Thompson served as the chief engineer at NASA’s Dryden Flight Reseach Center, now Armstrong Flight Research Center, from 1975 until his death in 1993.

NASA pilot William “Bill” Dana poses in front of X-15-3 Dana after the final rocket powered aircraft flight, aboard the X-24B, at Edwards Air Force Base in 1975.
Left: NASA pilot William “Bill” Dana poses in front of X-15-3. Right: Dana after the final rocket powered aircraft flight, aboard the X-24B, at Edwards Air Force Base in 1975.

In May 1965, NASA selected William “Bill” H. Dana, already involved in the program as a chase pilot and simulation engineer, to backfill Thompson as an X-15 pilot. Dana completed 16 flights including what turned out to be the final flight of the X-15 program on Oct. 24, 1968. He reached a maximum speed of Mach 5.53 and an altitude of 306,900 feet, high enough to qualify him for Air Force astronaut wings. With the program sufficiently mature, in addition to gathering flight characteristics data, several experiments flew aboard Dana’s flights. On the last mission, Dana observed a Minuteman missile launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Following the end of the X-15 program, between April 1969 and December 1972, Dana piloted experimental lifting body aircraft like the HL-10 and M2-F3, and in September 1975, he flew the X-24B twice, including the final flight of a rocket-powered aircraft at Edwards. After test flying other aircraft, he served as Dryden’s chief engineer between 1993 and 1998, taking over from Thompson.

U.S. Air Force pilot Robert M. White after the last flight of an X-15 with the LR-11 engines White inside the X-15 about to launch on the first flight above Mach 6
Left: U.S. Air Force pilot Robert M. White after the last flight of an X-15 with the LR-11 engines. Right: White inside the X-15 about to launch on the first flight above Mach 6.

Five U.S. Air Force and one U.S. Navy pilot made history flying the X-15. The U.S. Air Force selected Iven C. “Kinch” Kincheloe as their first X-15 pilot, but tragically he died in an aircraft accident on July 26, 1958, before making a flight. His backup, Robert M. White, stepped in as the first Air Force pilot to fly the X-15, completing 16 missions. Over the course of these missions, White’s achievements included the first flight of an X-15 above 100,000 feet, then 200,000 feet, and eventually to 314,750 feet. That earned White U.S. Air Force astronaut wings on his July 17, 1962, flight. He also broke speed records, as the first person to fly faster than Mach 4, then Mach 5, and finally reaching Mach 6.04 – more than doubling the speed record in just eight months. After leaving the X-15 program, White flew combat missions in southeast Asia, the only X-15 pilot to see active duty in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. He retired as a major general in 1981.

U.S. Navy pilot Forrest S. “Pete” Petersen poses next to an X-15 The B-52 carrier aircraft flies overhead to salute Petersen’s highest and fastest flight
Left: U.S. Navy pilot Forrest S. “Pete” Petersen poses next to an X-15. Right: The B-52 carrier aircraft flies overhead to salute Petersen’s highest and fastest flight.

Air Force pilot Robert A. Rushworth following a flight aboard X-15-3 photograph of two B-52s preparing to launch two X-15s in November 1960
Left: Air Force pilot Robert A. Rushworth following a flight aboard X-15-3. Right: Unusual photograph of two B-52s preparing to launch two X-15s in November 1960 – X-15-1 prepares to taxi for Rushworth’s first flight, left, and X-15-2 for A. Scott Crossfield and the first flight of the XLR-99 rocket engine. Image credit: courtesy mach25media.com.

The pilot with the most X-15 missions, the Air Force’s Robert A. Rushworth completed 34 flights. For the first time, flight surgeons could monitor a pilot’s electrocardiogram in real time thanks to a new biomonitoring system and did so during Rushworth’s seventh flight. On his 14th flight, Rushworth reached an altitude of 285,000 feet, high enough to earn him U.S. Air Force astronaut wings. Rushworth flew his fastest flight on Dec. 5, 1963, when he reached a top speed of Mach 6.06. On June 25, on his 21st mission, Rushworth completed the first flight of X-15A-2, rebuilt and upgraded following its November 1962 crash. He piloted it to Mach 4.59, the first time the aircraft flew faster than Mach 4. On his next flight, he took the aircraft past Mach 5. On his 34th and final mission, Rushworth tested one of the significant upgrades to X-15A-2, the addition of disposable external fuel and oxidizer tanks to increase the rocket engine’s burn time. He encountered some difficulties when he jettisoned the tanks at the half-full stage, a condition that planners had not anticipated, but successfully landed the aircraft. As previously planned, Rushworth left the X-15 program five days later, attending the National War College before flying 189 combat missions in Vietnam. He retired as a major general in 1981.

Air Force pilot Joe H. Engle following a flight aboard X-15A-2 NASA astronaut Engle poses in front of space shuttle Enterprise during its first rollout in 1976 Engle during Columbia’s STS-2 mission in November 198
Left: Air Force pilot Joe H. Engle following a flight aboard X-15A-2. Middle: NASA astronaut Engle poses in front of space shuttle Enterprise during its first rollout in 1976. Right: Engle during Columbia’s STS-2 mission in November 1981.

Air Force pilot Joe H. Engle joined the X-15 program in June 1963, completing 16 missions. He achieved his highest speed, Mach 5.71, on his 10th flight, and earned his U.S. Air Force astronaut wings at 33 years of age, the youngest X-15 pilot to do so, on his 14th flight. Within less than four months, Engle surpassed the 50-mile mark two more times on his final two X-15 flights in August and October 1965. Engle left the X-15 program when NASA selected him as an astronaut on April 4, 1966. Putting his X-15 experience to good use, he commanded two of the five Approach and Landing Tests with space shuttle Enterprise in 1977. In 1982, he commanded STS-2, the second orbital flight of Columbia, and in 1985 he commanded STS-51I, the sixth flight of Discovery. Comparing the X-15 and the space shuttle, the only person to have piloted both said, “From a pilot-task standpoint, the entry and landing are very similar, performance wise. You fly roughly the same glide speed and the same glide slope angle. The float and touchdown were very similar.” Engle retired from NASA and the Air Force as a major general in 1986 but remained active in an advisory capacity into the 2010s.

Air Force pilot William J. “Pete” Knight poses with X-15A-2 with its unusual white outer paint over an ablative coating Knight, right, following his speed record-setting flight in October 1967
Left: Air Force pilot William J. “Pete” Knight poses with X-15A-2 with its unusual white outer paint over an ablative coating. Right: Knight, right, following his speed record-setting flight in October 1967.

The Air Force selected William J. “Pete” Knight as an X-15 pilot in 1965, and he completed 16 flights in two years. On his eighth flight on Nov. 18, 1966, Knight took X-15A-2 to above Mach 6, with the fully fueled external tanks operating as expected. In an attempt to protect the X-15’s skin during sustained flight at Mach 6, or proposed future flights at Mach 7 and 8, engineers coated X-15A-2 with an ablative material. Since the color of the material resembled the pink of a pencil eraser, workers painted it a gleaming white. On Oct. 3, 1967, Knight flew X-15A-2, with fully fueled external tanks, to an unofficial speed record of Mach 6.70, or 4,520 miles per hour, for a piloted winged vehicle. The mark stood until surpassed during the reentry of space shuttle Columbia on April 14, 1981. While the flight appeared to have gone well, hypersonic shock waves, especially around a model scramjet attached to the bottom rear of the aircraft, caused such heating that it burned through the ablative material, exposing the skin of the aircraft to 2,400 degrees, twice its design limit. Postflight inspection revealed significant damage to the aircraft that would have ended catastrophically had the heating continued for a few more seconds. A previous flight to Mach 6.33 showed similar, although less, severe damage, but engineers did not consider it as a warning sign. Due to the damage, X-15A-2 never flew again. In 2003, space shuttle Columbia suffered similar burn, caused by damage to its thermal protection system, leading to loss of the vehicle and its seven-member crew. When the X-15 program ended at the end of 1968, Knight returned to active duty, flying 253 combat missions in Vietnam in 1969 and 1970. He eventually returned to Edwards as its vice commander before retiring in 1982 and entering politics.

Michael J. Adams, left, selected in the first group of astronauts for the U.S. Air Force’s Manned Orbiting Laboratory in 1965 Adams following a mission aboard X-15-1
Left: Michael J. Adams, left, selected in the first group of astronauts for the U.S. Air Force’s Manned Orbiting Laboratory in 1965. Right: Adams following a mission aboard X-15-1.

The U.S. Air Force first selected Michael J. Adams as an astronaut for the Manned Orbiting Laboratory program in November 1965 before transferring him to the X-15 program in July 1966 as its 12th and final pilot. He flew the X-15 seven times and on his third flight reached his highest speed of Mach 5.59. Adams took off on his seventh flight on Nov. 15, 1967, a mission using X-15-3 with its advanced flight control system, to reach 250,000 feet and Mach 6 to conduct several experiments. After overshooting to a peak altitude of 266,000 feet and beginning the descent but sill well outside the atmosphere, the X-15-3 entered into a hypersonic spin traveling at more than 3,000 miles per hour, at one point flying tail first. Adams and the aircraft’s systems recovered from the spin, but now the aircraft began serious pitch oscillations as it continued to fall. At 62,000 feet, the g-loads from the oscillations overcame the structural limits of the aircraft and it broke apart. The X-15-3 crashed, killing Adams. The accident investigation identified proximate causes as a short-circuit from one of the experiments that had not been tested at low atmospheric pressures or high temperatures, causing both the aircraft’s computer and its flight control system to repeatedly fail. Adams became distracted and did not realize his aircraft’s attitude was increasingly off nominal. In addition, an attitude indicator switch had been set at the wrong setting, providing Adams with confusing information. Telemetry to the ground did not include attitude information, so controllers did not know the problems Adams faced and could not provide any helpful direction. Adams may have suffered from vertigo, a condition for which he had previously tested positive, a fact not known to his flight surgeon. Two major changes from the accident included adding attitude information to the telemetry and ensuring that all pilots received thorough vestibular screening to identify cases of vertigo. With the loss of X-15-3 and the retirement of the damaged X-15A-2 following Knight’s October flight, only one aircraft, the original X-15-1, remained to close out the program until funding ran out in December 1968. The Air Force posthumously honored Adams with astronaut wings.

The Edwards Air Force Base ground crew poses in front of the B-52 with X-15-1 mounted under its wing during a rare snowstorm that thwarted a final attempt at a 200th flight
The Edwards Air Force Base ground crew poses in front of the B-52 with X-15-1 mounted under its wing during a rare snowstorm that thwarted a final attempt at a 200th flight.

NASA pilot Dana flew what turned out to be the 199th and final X-15 mission on Oct. 24, 1968. Managers tried to fly a 200th mission before funding ran out on Dec. 31. Eight attempts between Nov. 27 and Dec. 20 for Air Force pilot Knight to take X-15-1 on a final mission failed for a variety of reasons. Due to the delays, the initial mission plan of flying to 250,000 feet at Mach 4.9 in an attempt to visualize a missile launch from Vandenberg AFB had to change to a more modest altitude goal of 162,000 feet and reduced speed of Mach 3.9 to test a new experiment. On Dec. 20, with Knight suited up and ready to board the X-15, a rare snowstorm put an end to any plans to fly, and so the program ended. The next morning, on the other side of the continent, a Saturn V lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to take Apollo 8 astronauts on the first voyage to the Moon. Seven months later, former NASA X-15 pilot Armstrong took humanity’s first steps on the Moon.

Summary of X-15 pilots’ accomplishments.
Summary of X-15 pilots’ accomplishments.

A grateful nation recognized the accomplishments of the X-15 pilots. On Nov. 28, 1961, in a White House ceremony President John F. Kennedy presented Crossfield, Walker, and White with the Harmon International Trophy for Aviators. On July 18, 1962, President Kennedy presented the prestigious Robert J. Collier Trophy to Crossfield, Walker, White, and Petersen for their pioneering hypersonic flights. On Dec. 3, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson presented the Harmon Trophy to Knight for his Mach 6.70 record-setting flight.

President John F. Kennedy, left, presents the Harmon Trophy to X-15 pilots A. Scott Crossfield of North American Aviation, Joseph A. Walker of NASA, and Robert White of the U.S. Air Force President Kennedy presents the Collier Trophy to X-15 pilots Crossfield, White, Walker, and Forrest S. Petersen of the U.S. Navy President Lyndon B. Johnson presents the Harmon Trophy to U.S. Air Force X-15 pilot William J. “Pete” Knight
Left: President John F. Kennedy, left, presents the Harmon Trophy to X-15 pilots A. Scott Crossfield of North American Aviation, Joseph A. Walker of NASA, and Robert White of the U.S. Air Force. Middle: President Kennedy presents the Collier Trophy to X-15 pilots Crossfield, White, Walker, and Forrest S. Petersen of the U.S. Navy. Right: President Lyndon B. Johnson presents the Harmon Trophy to U.S. Air Force X-15 pilot William J. “Pete” Knight.

The X-15-1 as it looked in the Milestones of Flight exhibit at the Smithsonian Institute’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C The X-15A-2 on display at the National Museum of the Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (AFB), in Dayton, Ohio A replica of the X-15-3 as it looked on display in 1997 outside the entrance to NASA’s Dryden, now Armstrong, Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB.
Left: The X-15-1 as it looked in the Milestones of Flight exhibit at the Smithsonian Institute’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Image credit: courtesy National Air and Space Museum. Middle: The X-15A-2 on display at the National Museum of the Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (AFB), in Dayton, Ohio. Image credit: courtesy National Museum of the Air Force. Right: A replica of the X-15-3 as it looked on display in 1997 outside the entrance to NASA’s Dryden, now Armstrong, Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB.

Following the end of the program, the two surviving X-15 aircraft found permanent homes in prestigious museums. The X-15-1 arrived at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., in June 1969. When the new National Air and Space Museum opened in July 1976, the X-15-1 found a place of prominence in the Milestones of Flight exhibit. In 2019, curators placed it in temporary storage while the museum undergoes a major renovation. The X-15A-2 went on display at the Air Force Museum, now the National Museum of the Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB, in Dayton, Ohio, where it still resides. Although the third aircraft was lost in a crash, North American built replica of X-15-3 that was mounted outside the entrance to Dryden in 1995. Damage from winds required its removal and refurbishment, and it is currently in storage at Armstrong.

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      Balaban’s career at Ames has involved a variety of projects at different stages of development – from early concept to flight-ready – including experimenting with different ways to create super-sized space telescopes in space and using artificial intelligence to help guide the path a rover might take to maximize off-world science results. Like many Ames researchers over the years, Balaban shared that his experience has involved deep collaborations across science and engineering disciplines with colleagues all over the center, as well as commercial and academic partners in Silicon Valley where Ames is nestled and beyond. This is a tradition that runs deep at Ames and has helped lead to entirely new fields of study and seeded many companies and spinoffs.
      Before NASA, Before Silicon Valley: The 1939 Founding of Ames Aeronautical Laboratory “In the fields of aeronautics and space exploration the cost of entry can be quite high. For commercial enterprises and universities pursuing longer term ideas and putting them into practice often means partnering up with an organization such as NASA that has the scale and multi-disciplinary expertise to mature these ideas for real-world applications,” added Balaban.
      “Certainly, the topics of inquiry, the academic freedom, and the benefit to the public good are what has kept me at Ames,” reflected Ross Beyer, a planetary scientist with the SETI Institute at Ames. “There’s not a lot of commercial incentive to study other planets, for example, but maybe there will be soon. In the meantime, only with government funding and agencies like NASA can we develop missions to explore the unknown in order to make important fundamental science discoveries and broadly share them.”
      For Beyer, his boundary-breaking moment came when he searched – and found – software engineers at Ames capable and passionate about open-source software to generate accurate, high-resolution, texture-mapped, 3D terrain models from stereo image pairs. He and other teams of NASA scientists have since applied that software to study and better understand everything from changes in snow and ice characteristics on Earth, as well as features like craters, mountains, and caves on Mars or the Moon. This capability is part of the Artemis campaign, through which NASA will establish a long-term presence at the Moon for scientific exploration with commercial and international partners. The mission is to learn how to live and work away from home, promote the peaceful use of space, and prepare for future human exploration of Mars. 
      “As NASA and private companies send missions to the Moon, they need to plan landing sites and understand the local environment, and our software is freely available for anyone to use,” Beyer said. “Years ago, our management could easily have said ‘No, let’s keep this software to ourselves; it gives us a competitive advantage.’ They didn’t, and I believe that NASA writ large allows you to work on things and share those things and not hold them back.” 
      When looking forward to what the next 85 years might bring, researchers shared a belief that advancements in technology and opportunities to innovate are as expansive as space itself, but like all living things, they need a healthy atmosphere to thrive. Balaban offered, “This freedom to innovate is precious and cannot be taken for granted. It can easily fall victim if left unprotected. It is absolutely critical to retain it going forward, to ensure our nation’s continuing vitality and the strength of the other freedoms we enjoy.”
      Ames Aeronautical Laboratory.NACAView the full article
    • NASA
      NASA Runs X-59 Engine with Maximum Afterburner for First Time
      By NASA
      1 min read
      Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
      NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft completed its first maximum afterburner test at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California. This full-power test, during which the engine generates additional thrust, validates the additional power needed for meeting the testing conditions of the aircraft. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which aims to overcome a major barrier to supersonic flight over land by reducing the noise of sonic booms.Lockheed Martin Corporation/Garry Tice NASA completed the first maximum afterburner engine run test on its X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft on Dec. 12. The ground test, conducted at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California, marks a significant milestone as the X-59 team progresses toward flight.
      An afterburner is a component of some jet engines that generates additional thrust. Running the engine, an F414-GE-100, with afterburner will allow the X-59 to meet its supersonic speed requirements. The test demonstrated the engine’s ability to operate within temperature limits and with adequate airflow for flight. It also showed the engine’s ability to operate in sync with the aircraft’s other subsystems.
      The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land by making sonic booms quieter. The X-59’s first flight is expected to occur in 2025.
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      Last Updated Dec 20, 2024 EditorDede DiniusContactMatt Kamletmatthew.r.kamlet@nasa.gov Related Terms
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    • NASA
      25 Years Ago: STS-103, The Hubble Servicing Mission-3A
      By NASA
      “Trying to do stellar observations from Earth is like trying to do birdwatching from the bottom of a lake.” James B. Odom, Hubble Program Manager 1983-1990.

      The third servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, placed in orbit in 1990, occurred during the STS-103 mission in December 1999. During the mission, originally planned for June 2000 but accelerated by six months following unexpected failures of the telescope’s attitude control gyroscopes, the astronauts restored the facility to full functionality. During their eight-day mission that featured the first space shuttle crew to spend Christmas in space, the seven-member U.S. and European crew rendezvoused with and captured Hubble, and four astronauts in rotating teams of two conducted three lengthy and complex spacewalks to service and upgrade the telescope. They redeployed the telescope with greater capabilities than ever before to continue its mission to help scientists unlock the secrets of the universe.
      Schematic showing the Hubble Space Telescope’s major components. Workers inspect the Hubble Space Telescope’s 94-inch diameter primary mirror prior to assembly. Astronauts release the Hubble Space Telescope in April 1990 during the STS-31 mission. The discovery after the Hubble Space Telescope’s launch in 1990 that its primary mirror suffered from a flaw called spherical aberration disappointed scientists who could not obtain the sharp images they had expected. But thanks to the Hubble’s built-in feature of on-orbit servicing, NASA devised a plan to correct the telescope’s optics during the first planned repair mission in 1993. A second servicing mission in 1997 upgraded the telescope’s capabilities until the next mission planned for three years later. But after three of the telescope’s six gyroscopes failed in 1997, 1998, and 1999, mission rules dictated a call up mission in case additional gyroscope failures sent Hubble into a safe mode. NASA elected to move up some of the servicing tasks from the third mission, splitting it into missions 3A and 3B, planning to fly 3A in October 1999 on Discovery’s STS-103 mission primarily to replace the failed gyroscopes. Delays to the shuttle fleet resulting from anomalies during the launch of STS-93 in July 1993 slipped STS-103 first into November and ultimately into December. Technical issues with Discovery itself pushed the launch date to mid-December, and raised concerns about having a shuttle in orbit during the Y2K transition. Once the launch had slipped to Dec. 19, mission planners cut the mission from 10 to eight days, deleting one of the four spacewalks, to ensure a return before the end of the calendar year. The servicing mission couldn’t come soon enough, as a fourth gyroscope failed aboard Hubble in mid-November, with Discovery already poised on the launch pad to prepare for STS-103. Controllers placed Hubble in a safe mode until the astronauts arrived.
      The STS-103 crew of C. Michael Foale, left, Claude Nicollier, Scott J. Kelly, Curtis L. Brown, Jean-François A. Clervoy, John M. Grunsfeld, and Steven L. Smith. The STS-103 crew patch. The mission patch for the Hubble Servicing Mission-3A. To execute the third Hubble Servicing Mission, in July 1998 NASA selected an experienced four-person team to carry out a record-breaking six spacewalks on the flight then planned for June 2000. The spacewalkers included Mission Specialists Steven L. Smith serving as payload commander, John M. Grunsfeld, C. Michael Foale, and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Claude Nicollier from Switzerland. The addition in March 1999 of Commander Curtis L. Brown, Pilot Scott J. Kelly, and Mission Specialist ESA astronaut Jean-François A. Clervoy of France rounded out the highly experienced crew with 18 previous spaceflights among them. Brown earned the distinction as only the fifth person to fly in space six times. For Kelly, STS-103 marked his first spaceflight. Smith, Clervoy, and Grunsfeld each had flown two previous missions, Foale four including a long-duration mission aboard Mir, and Nicollier three. Smith participated in three spacewalks during the second Hubble Servicing Mission and Nicollier served as the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) or robotic arm operator during the first.
      The STS-103 crew at the traditional prelaunch breakfast at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Suited up, the STS-103 astronauts leave crew quarters for the trip to Launch Pad 39B. Space shuttle Discovery on Launch Pad 39B, awaiting launch. Discovery arrived back to KSC at the end of the STS-96 mission on June 6, 1999, and workers towed it to the Orbiter Processing Facility the same day to begin readying it for STS-103. The vehicle rolled over to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Nov. 4, where workers mated it with its external tank and twin solid rocket boosters, before rolling the stack out to Launch Pad 39B on Nov. 13.
      Liftoff of space shuttle Discovery on the STS-103 Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission 3A. The Hubble Space Telescope as Discovery approaches. The STS-103 crew berthing the Hubble into the payload bay. Beginning its 27th trip into space, Discovery lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at 7:50 p.m. EST on Dec. 19 to fix the ailing space telescope. Two days later, Brown and Kelly maneuvered Discovery to within range of Hubble so Clervoy operating the 50-foot-long RMS could grapple the telescope and berth it into the payload bay.
      During the first spacewalk, astronauts John M. Grunsfeld, left, and Steven L. Smith replacing one of the Rate Sensor Units containing two gyroscopes. Smith gives a thumbs up with his image reflected in the Hubble Space Telescope. Smith and Grunsfeld conducted the mission’s first spacewalk on Dec. 22, the flight’s fourth day in space. The duo, aided by Clervoy operating the RMS from inside Discovery, completed two of mission’s highest priority objectives. They replaced the failed gyroscopes, installing three new Rate Sensor Units, each containing two gyroscopes, to return control to the ailing telescope. They also installed six Voltage/Temperature Improvement Kits to prevent the telescope’s batteries from overheating as they aged. The excursion lasted eight hours 15 minutes, at the time the second longest spacewalk.
      During the second spacewalk, astronauts C. Michael Foale, left, and Claude Nicollier during the changeout of the fine guidance sensor. Foale at the end of the Remote Manipulator System services the Hubble Space Telescope. The next day, Nicollier and Foale conducted the mission’s second spacewalk. The main task for this excursion involved installing a new computer aboard Hubble, replacing the original 1970s vintage unit. The new radiation-hardened system ran 20 times faster and carried six times more memory while using one-third the electrical power. They also installed a fine guidance sensor before concluding the eight-hour 10-minute spacewalk.
      Astronauts Steven L. Smith, left, and John M. Grunsfeld begin their servicing activities during the third spacewalk. At the end of the third and final spacewalk, Grunsfeld, left, and Smith provide closing comments about the work the mission accomplished to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Smith and Grunsfeld ventured outside for a second time to complete the flight’s third and final spacewalk on Dec. 24, the first spacewalk conducted on Christmas Eve day. First, they replaced an old reel-to-reel tape recorder with a solid state unit providing a 10-fold increase in recording capability and replaced a failed data transmitter. They installed seven new covers on Hubble’s electronics bay doors for added protection of the telescope’s insulation. This third spacewalk lasted eight hours eight minutes.
      The first space shuttle crew to celebrate Christmas in space, the STS-103 astronauts pose wearing Santa hats. The Hubble Space Telescope shortly after the STS-103 crew released it. The next day, the STS-103 astronauts earned the distinction as the first space shuttle crew to spend Christmas Day in space. Clervoy grappled Hubble, lifted it out of the payload bay and released it to continue its mission. Hubble Space Telescope Program Manager John H. Campbell said after the release, “The spacecraft is being guided by its new gyros under the control of its brand new computer. [It] is now orbiting freely and is in fantastic shape.” After deploying Hubble, the astronauts enjoyed a well-deserved Christmas dinner, with Clervoy providing French delicacies. The crew spent Dec. 26 readying Discovery for its return to Earth, including testing its reaction control system thrusters and aerodynamic surfaces and stowing unneeded gear.
      Astronauts Steven L. Smith, left, Claude Nicollier, and John M. Grunsfeld complete their fluid loading protocol and put on their launch and entry suits prior to reentry. Space shuttle Discovery makes a perfect night landing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew welcome home ceremony at Ellington Field in Houston. On Dec. 27, the astronauts donned their launch and entry suits and prepared for the return to Earth. They closed the payload bay doors and fired Discovery’s engines to bring them out of orbit. Just before landing, Kelly lowered the craft’s landing gear and Brown guided Discovery to a smooth night landing at KSC, concluding a flight of seven days, 23 hours, 11 minutes. They circled the Earth 119 times. The flight marked Discovery’s last solo flight as all its subsequent missions docked with the International Space Station. Workers at KSC began readying it for its next mission, STS-92 in October 2000.

      The Hubble Space Telescope continues to operate today, far exceeding the five-year life extension expected from the last of the servicing missions in 2009. Joined in space by the James Webb Space Telescope in 2021, the two instruments together continue to image the skies across a broad range of the electromagnetic spectrum to provide scientists with the tools to gain unprecedented insights into the universe and its formation.

      Watch the STS-103 crew narrate a video of their Hubble servicing mission.
      View the full article
    • European Space Agency
      ESA 2025: A fifty-years legacy of building the future
      By European Space Agency
      Video: 00:10:27 In 1975, 10 European countries came together with a vision to collaborate on key space activities: science and astronomy, launch capabilities and space applications: the European Space Agency, ESA, was born.
      In 2025, we mark half a century of joint European achievement – filled with firsts and breakthroughs in science, exploration and technology, and the space infrastructure and economy that power Europe today.
       
      During the past five decades ESA has grown, developing ever bolder and bigger projects and adding more Member States, with Slovenia joining as the latest full Member State in January.
       
      We’ll also celebrate the 50th anniversary of ESA’s Estrack network, 30 years of satellite navigation in Europe and 20 years since ESA launched the first demonstration satellite Giove-A which laid the foundation for the EU’s own satnav constellation Galileo. Other notable celebrations are the 20th anniversary of ESA’s Business Incubation Centres, or BICs, and the 30th year in space for SOHO, the joint ESA and NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory.
       
      Sadly though, 2025 will mean end of science operations for Integral and Gaia. Integral, ESA's gamma-ray observatory has exotic objects in space since 2002 and Gaia concludes a decade of mapping the stars. But as some space telescopes retire, another one provides its first full data release. Launched in 2023, we expect Euclid’s data release early in the new year.
       
      Launch-wise, we’re looking forward to Copernicus Sentinel-4 and -5 (Sentinel-4 will fly on an MTG-sounder satellite and Sentinel-5 on the MetOp-SG-A1 satellite), Copernicus Sentinel-1D, Sentinel-6B and Biomass. We’ll also launch the SMILE mission, or Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer, a joint mission with the Chinese academy of science.
       
      The most powerful version of Europe’s new heavy-lift rocket, Ariane 6, is set to fly operationally for the first time in 2025. With several European commercial launcher companies planning to conduct their first orbital launches in 2025 too, ESA is kicking off the European Launcher Challenge to support the further development of European space transportation industry.
       
      In human spaceflight, Polish ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański will fly to the ISS on the commercial Axiom-4 mission. Artemis II will be launched with the second European Service Module, on the first crewed mission around the Moon since 1972.
      The year that ESA looks back on a half century of European achievement will also be one of key decisions on our future. At the Ministerial Council towards the end of 2025, our Member States will convene to ensure that Europe's crucial needs, ambitions and the dreams that unite us in space become reality.
      So, in 2025, we’ll celebrate the legacy of those who came before but also help establish a foundation for the next 50 years. Join us as we look forward to a year that honours ESA’s legacy and promises new milestones in space.
      View the full article

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