Twelve pilots flew three X-15 spaceplanes, flying record high-altitude flights, high-speed flights, and sub-orbital spaceflights. Collectively, pilots and craft performed a total of 199 free flights after being carried aloft and then air launched from one of two modified B-52 mother ships .

During 13 of the 199 total X-15 flights, eight pilots flew above 264,000 feet (50.0 mi; 80 km), thereby qualifying as astronauts according to the US Armed Forces definition of the space border.

Hypersonic Research at the Edge of Space. Biographies - Pilots: Michael J. Adams: Neil A. Armstrong: A. Scott Crossfield

Sep 15, 2009 · Using technology developed and tested on the X-15, pilots learned how to transition control smoothly from reaction control jets at high altitudes or in space to wing- and tail-mounted control surfaces in the atmosphere closer to the ground.

People are the heart and soul of a successful research effort such as the X-15 program and similar pioneering aviation research. Those who are best known are the test pilots, whose skill and insight are vital. They are those who directly execute the research, often at …

Feb 4, 2025 · Joe Walker, who was one of just twelve pilots to operate the X-15, was the only one to pilot the aircraft above the Karman Line. The flight, known as Flight 90, occurred on July 19 th, 1963,...

The X-15 Astronauts By Cliff Lethbridge From the earliest days of the U.S. space program, military pilots who have flown in space have been awarded astronaut wings upon completion of their flight in space.

Oct 13, 2023 · 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.

The pilots accomplished it with a combination of guidance from NASA 1—a controller on the ground, usually another X-15 pilot—and every pilot’s ultimate tool, the eyeball.

2 days ago · The X-15 flew 199 missions between June 8, 1959 and October 24, 1968, covering a spectrum of experimental goals from aerodynamics and thermal protection to high-altitude physiological studies. Pilots were dropped from their B-52 motherships and ignited the rocket engines to accelerate through the upper atmosphere.