Seminars

The X-15 Airplane was carried aloft under the wing of a B-52 bomber.  After being released it started a rocket motor for a flight and then returned to an unpowered landing on the dry lake at Edwards Air Force Base.  The program investigated aerodynamic heating and flight at hypersonic speeds.  Altitudes above 99.9 % of the atmosphere were achieved.  This required vehicle control in space, and allowed experiments about the physical properties of space.  This presentation will review the program, emphasizing that technical progress involves making mistakes, meeting unexpected problems, and dealing with unanticipated events.