OTD in history (Sept. 17th, 1959) the North American X-15 makes its first powered flight after being dropped by a B-52 west of Edwards AFB.

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wspaley@reddit

Had a model .. like Revell ?!? .. of this when I was just a young lad 👊🏻💯🚀

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JackKlompusEyebrows@reddit

I have one of the backpack oxygen tanks they wore in case they had to eject (which they never did.)

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Aggravating_Speed665@reddit

Still one of NASA's greatest feats, considering the year.

I have to watch the intro to First Man at least once a year to get my X-15 fix...still gives me chills.

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ttystikk@reddit

A similar flight profile to that of ME-163 Komet, but much higher and faster. Incredible progress in just 15 years.

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timster@reddit

The pace of aerospace innovation from the end of the Second World War until the moon landing really was astonishing.

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Old_Wallaby_7461@reddit

We can go back. All we have to do is spend 15% of GDP on the military again

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True story. I had the opportunity to speak to some of the engineers who built the F-22 and they said if they had enough time and money, they could have built a Deathstar. At some point they said, they had put the project into production.

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devoduder@reddit

That plane is capable of more than the pilot can endure. When I was stationed at Langley, one of my contractors was a ANG 22 pilot. Learned a lot about the jet from him, plus he got several of us in to the Langley sim to “fly” the jet. Amazing stuff.

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mattman840@reddit

Ive always wondered, how long were aircraft like this in actual free fall before the generated enough lift to maintain a steady altitude?

A few hundred feet?

A few thousand?

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devoduder@reddit

The whole flight lasted 551 seconds and the engine run was 224.3 seconds. Probably not a lot of free fall.

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Radioactive_Tuber57@reddit

I’ve heard that the flights from launch over NE Nevada to landing at Edwards were only about 15 mins.

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devoduder@reddit

This first powered flight lasted 551 seconds.

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Southern-Bandicoot@reddit

A bit less than that, mate.

The furthest intended distance (point to point) launch was flight 91, Joe Walker's final X-15 flight. He was launched from the vicinity of Smith Ranch and reached a peak altitude of 354,200 ft with a maximum recorded speed of M5.58 ... and landed at Edwards 11 mins 8.6 seconds after being dropped from 003.

Armstrong did achieve a longer flight duration (unplanned) on flight 51, launched in the vicinity of Mud Lake. He reached a peak altitude of 207,500 ft and a recorded maximum speed of M5.31. On this flight with the unplanned overshoot, he landed at Edwards 12 mins 28.7 seconds after being dropped from 008.

My source for this is At the Edge of Space by Milt Thompson (another of the 12 X-15 pilots).

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https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/always-another-dawn-albert-scott-crossfield/1113613554

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Brilliant_Night7643@reddit (OP)

North American X-15