X-15 launch from a Boeing B-52. This is a flight of the first X-15 aircraft,dropped from its NB-52A carrier aircraft on 12 May 1960 with NASA test pilot Joe Walker (1921-1966) at the controls. The X-15 was a rocket-powered research aircraft designed to investigate flight at hypersonic speeds. Three X-15s flew a total of 199 missions between 1959 and 1968. The X-15 was carried into the air by a converted B-52 bomber and released at high altitude. The pilot then ignited the X-15's rocket motor. It was the first plane to reach the edge of outer space and set records for the fastest manned aircraft (7,274 kilometres per hour,or Mach 6.72) | |
Lizenzart: | Lizenzpflichtig |
Credit: | Science Photo Library / NASA |
Bildgröße: | 4726 px × 3717 px |
Modell-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Eigentums-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Restrictions: | - |