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| Faster and Higher |
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| DESCRIPTION |
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| 16 x 11.5 Inch Collector Size Unframed Lithograph $40.00
In late 1954 requests for proposals went out for a hypersonic aircraft capable of Mach 7 and a ceiling of 50 miles. This was to be the third aircraft in the experimental series (following the X-1 and X-2) and its mission would be to explore the upper ranges of the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds. North American won the contract in 1955. The North American X-15 research aircraft the most succesful research aircraft in history has flown faster and higher than any manned aircraft. Powered by a rocket motor generating 57000 pounds of thrust by burning a combination of liquid oxygen and anhydrous ammonia the X-15 was launched from a specially modified B-52 mother ship for each of its flights. Because of the high temperatures which would be encountered in flight special alloys were incorporated in the design. At extreme altitudes when in fact the X-15 would technically be in space the aircraft was controlled by a thruster system using hydrogen peroxide jets. On the aircraft's first non-powered flight on June 8 1959 North American's test pilot Scott Crossfield had his hands full trying to land the X-15. Nine days later the X-15 embarked on its first powered flight and obtained a speed of Mach 2.3. Eventually Crossfield would take the X-15 to an altitude of 81200 feet and a speed of Mach 2.97 on November 15 1960. The aircraft was then turned over to NASA which would put the aircraft through a series of dazzling record-breaking flights over the next few years. NASA test pilot Joe Walker took the X-15 to an altitude of 67 miles which is 17 miles beyond what is considered to be the outer limits of the Earth's atmosphere. This is the highest altitude ever reached by a manned aircraft not considering the Space Shuttle. One of the X-15s was modified and on October 3 1967 Major William "Pete" Knight reached the amazing speed of Mach 6.72. Over nearly a decade of test flights the X-15 was piloted by only twelve men. Included in this exclusive group were Neil Armstrong and Michael Adams who was killed in an X-15 accident. William H. Dana was the last pilot to fly the X-15 on its final flight on October 24 1968. Reaching Mach 5.38 and an altitude of 255000 feet the flight was successful. After approximately 200 flights the X-15 program was terminated in late 1968. The information obtained from these flights had numerous benefits to both the American space program and to the development of high speed fixed wing aircraft. |
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