X-15 Rocket Plane

X-15 Rocket Plane MPEG2 40 mb, X-15 Rocket Plane 512Kb MPEG4 3.91 mb, X-15 Rocket Plane Ogg Video 3.61 mb which is a free, open standard container format maintained by the Xiph.Org Foundation. The OGG format is unrestricted by software patents and is designed to provide for efficient streaming and manipulation of high quality digital multimedia. . animated gif, 12 frames

X-15 Rocket Plane - First Free Flight (Standard 4:3) (1959)

Producer: Universal News
Audio/Visual: sound, black and white
Keywords: stock footage; standard 4:3; historic; 1959; aviation; military; rocket plane; X-15
Creative Commons license: Public Domain

The X-15, designed to provide data on material and human factors of high-speed, high-altitude flight, made the first manned probes into the lower edges of space. It was built for speeds of up to 4,000 mph and altitudes of 50 miles, but these goals were exceeded on numerous occasions. Several X-15 pilots earned "astronaut" rating by attaining altitudes above 50 miles. The X-15 flight program contributed significantly to the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo projects.

The X-15 was carried aloft by a B-52 and was released at about 45,000 feet and 500 mph. Its rocket engine then fired for the first 80-120 seconds of flight. The remainder of the 10-11 minute flight was powerless and ended with a 200 mph glide landing on a dry lake bed.

The first powered X-15 flight was made on Sept. 17. 1959, and 199 flights were made between 1959 and 1968 by the three X-15s that were built. The No. 1 X-15 is at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, and the No. 3 X-15 was destroyed in a crash. The No. 2 aircraft was retired to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in October 1969.

SPECIFICATIONS:
Span: 22 ft. 5 in.
Length: 52 ft. 5 in.
Height: 14 ft.
Weight: 56,132 lbs. (at launch with ram jet test engine)
Armament: None
Engine: Reaction Motors XLR 99 rocket engine of over 50,000 lbs. thrust
Serial number: 56-6671
C/N: 240-2

PERFORMANCE:
Maximum speed: 4,520 mph (unofficial record)
Range: Over 250 miles (flight path distance)
Service ceiling: 354,200 ft. (unofficial record by X-15 No. 3)