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North Amiercan X-15 first flight...
North Amiercan X-15 first flight...
Item # 561468
June 09, 1959
THE SPRINGFIELD UNION, Massachusetts, June 9, 1959
* North American X-15 first flight
* Scott Crossfield
This 32 page newspaper has a three column headline on the front page: "Space Ship Glides to Earth in First Free Flight" with related photos. (see) This was the very first test flight of the X-15 rocket powered airplane piloted by Scott Crossfield.
Other news of the day throughout. Minor spine wear, otherwise in nice condition.
wikipedia notes: The North American X-15 rocket-powered aircraft was part of the X-series of experimental aircraft, initiated with the Bell X-1, that were made for the USAF, NASA, and the USN. The X-15 set speed and altitude records in the early 1960s, reaching the edge of outer space and returning with valuable data used in aircraft and spacecraft design. It currently holds the world record for the fastest speed ever reached by a manned aircraft.[1]
During the X-15 program, 13 of the flights (by eight pilots) met the USAF spaceflight criteria by exceeding the altitude of 50 miles (80.47 km. 264,000ft.), thus qualifying the pilots for astronaut status; some pilots also qualified for NASA astronaut wings.
Of all the X-15 missions, two flights (by the same pilot) qualified as space flights, per the international FAI definition of a spaceflight by exceeding a 100 kilometer (62.137 mi, 328,084 ft) altitude.
The first X-15 flight was an unpowered test flight by Scott Crossfield, on 8 June 1959; he also piloted the first powered flight, on 17 September 1959, with his first XLR-99 flight on 15 November 1960.
Category: The 20th Century
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