82 lines
3.9 KiB
Plaintext
82 lines
3.9 KiB
Plaintext
X-15, WORLD'S FIRST HYPERSONIC RESEARCH AIRCRAFT
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The X-15 was a small rocket-powered aircraft, 50 feet long
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with a wingspan of 22 feet. It had a conventional fuselage, but
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an unusual wedge-shaped vertical tail, thin stubby wings and
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unique side fairings that extended along the fuselage. The X-15
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weighed about 14,000 pounds empty and approximately 34,000 pounds
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at launch. The rocket engine, which was controlled by the pilot,
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was capable of developing 60,000 pounds of thrust.
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The X-15 research aircraft was developed to provide inflight
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information and data on aero-thermodynamics, aerodynamics,
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structures, flight controls and the physiological aspects of
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high-speed, high-altitude flight. A follow-on program utilized
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the aircraft as a testbed to carry various scientific experiments
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beyond the Earth's atmosphere on a repeated basis.
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For flight in the dense air of the usable atmosphere, the X-
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15 utilized conventional aerodynamic controls. For flight
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outside of the appreciable Earth's atmosphere, the X-15 used a
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ballistic control system. Eight hydrogen peroxide thrust
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rockets, located on the nose of the aircraft controlled pitch and
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yaw. Four other rockets were located on the wings for roll
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control.
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Because of the rapid fuel consumption, the X-15 was air-
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launched from under the wing of a B-52 aircraft at 45,000 feet at
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a speed of about 500 miles per hour. Depending on the mission
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and engine throttle setting, the rocket engine provided thrust
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for the first 80 to 120 seconds of flight. The remainder of the
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normal 10-11 minute flight was powerless and ended with a 200
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mile-per-hour glide landing.
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Usually, one of two types of X-15 flight profiles were
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flown: a high-altitude flight plan that called for the pilot to
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climb steeply after launch or a speed profile that called for the
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pilot to push over and maintain a level altitude. First flown
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June 8, 1959, the three X-15 aircraft made 199 powered flights,
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concluding with the last flight on Oct. 24, 1968. Flight
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maximums of 354,200 feet in altitude and a speed of 4,520 miles
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per hour were obtained.
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The airframe manufacturer was North American Rockwell,
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Inc. Thiokol Chemical Corp. manufactured the power plant. The
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program was a joint NASA-USAF-USN effort.
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Three X-15 aircraft were built. The number 1 aircraft now
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is displayed in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum,
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Washington, D.C. Aircraft number 2 is on display at the Air
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Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The third
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aircraft was destroyed in a fatal accident in November 1967.
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Total cost of the X-15 program, including development of the
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three aircraft, was about $300 million.
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- end -
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