The North American X-15 is a hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft which was 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.

Oct 13, 2023 · 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.

X-15 tail, rear view View from directly aft of X-15 on the pylon of its B-52 carrier aircraft is a NASA photo. This copy was retrieved from Files/pics/pic04.jpg on the CDROM published by Apogee Books and included with X-15 - The NASA Mission Reports .

The X-15 fuselage was long and cylindrical, with rear fairings that flattened its appearance, and thick, dorsal and ventral wedge-fin stabilizers. Parts of the fuselage were heat-resistant nickel alloy (Inconel-X 750).

The X-15 is mainly a cylindrical fuselage, 49 feet 2 inches long. "Wing root" fairings begin just aft of the cockpit and extend nearly the entire length of the fuselage on each side. From these protrude stubby wings spanning 22 feet 4 inches and horizontal stabilizers.

It made the first manned flights to the edges of space and was the world’s first piloted aircraft to reach hypersonic speeds, or more than five times the speed of sound. The X-15 was an important tool for developing spaceflight in the 1960s, and pilots flying above 50 miles altitude in the X-15 earned astronaut wings.

The X-15 was an experimental rocket plane, built by North American Aviation, that set aircraft speed and altitude records, some of which still stand today. First flown on 8 June 1959, it was used to provide data on thermal heating, control, and stability at extremely high speeds, and on atmospheric reentry.

Mar 4, 2024 · The North American X-15 rocket plane was perhaps the most important of the USAF/USN X-series of experimental aircraft. 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.

Behind the X-15 is the X-3 and X-13. The above image is a composite of three images. An information and location guide to the spacecraft used in the American conquest of space. Includes all production spacecraft, flown and unflown, as well …

Three view art of the North American X-15. Robert White, Bill Dana, Neil Armstrong and Joe Engle were on hand when astronaut wings were presented to the three NASA pilots who flew the X-15 into space. Southwestern US, with Las Vegas, NV in foreground, taken by X-15 Hycon HR-236 Camera during flt. 2-39-70 on June 27, 1965.