X-15: The World's Fastest Rocket Plane and the Pilots Who Ushered in the Space Age

by John D. Anderson Jr., Richard Passman

In X-15 , the exciting story of the X-15 - the iconic rocket plane of the Cold War space race - is recounted by John Anderson , curator of aerodynamics at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. This experimental space plane was on the cutting edge of hypersonic aerodynamics, and its winged reentry from space foreshadowed the development of the Space Shuttle decades later. Launched from the wing of a modified B-52 bomber - again foretelling a concept that would be used decades later, in this case by Space Ship One and Space Ship Two - the ship rocketed higher and faster than any manned aircraft of the time. Designed to approach seven times the speed of sound, it was the first hypersonic aircraft ever created and was engineered to function both in the Earth's atmosphere and at the edge of space. Illustrated with period NASA and USAF photographs, as well as exclusive Smithsonian photography of the first of three X-15s built, X-15 captures the risks and dangers of the X-15 program as Anderson follows the test pilots (including Neil Armstrong) who pushed the very limits of their piloting skills to master groundbreaking experimental technology. Even with the fatal crash of the third X-15, the overall success of the program helped pave the way for NASA to continue to the Moon - and this is the definitive, expertly curated, and beautifully illustrated account of its development.

Genres: Engineering, Nonfiction

144 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 2013

About the author

John D. Anderson, Jr. (born October 1, 1937) is the Curator of Aerodynamics at the National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know I will be enjoying this book for years! The stories of the program and the pilots/astronauts are full of information that I really enjoyed. Anyone with a love for aviation and its history would love having a copy of this book. The photographs that fill this book are wonderful and having seen one of the B-52's that carried the X-15 out at the Pima County Air Museum just made this book copme to life for me. This was a wonderful win from Goodreads and one that will never part my collection.

Thanks Tim.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look into the X-15, systematically going through it's history and each pilot who flew it. I found myself longing for a spotters guide for each individual aircraft. Each was somewhat unique, and I would've enjoyed a list or comparison each. Each could be identified by it's tail number. But the tail number was not always visible, and the pictures not always specifically identified as one aircraft or another. The book also repeated itself several times, the best example being the pilot's biographies, which are completely reviewed in two separate sections of the book. Finally I would've enjoyed pilot accounts of flying the X-15 as well as a better description and illustration of the flight controls and their associated systems. The book does provide a good overview of the X-15. It left me hungry for more!

[G Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

great stuff. the pilots were MEN!

[Bryan Vandrovec · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good summary of the X-15 program, with great archive photos.

Overall a good summary of the X-15 program, with chapters specifically dedicated to the aircraft, its pilots, and their flights. I would have liked to see some greater detail on the aircraft design, engineering challenges, and other technical aspects of the program, but as the authors state in the beginning, their intent was to provide a "biography" of the X-15. My other main criticism is that the writing could use a bit more polish. In places it read more like a draft than a finished product, with content occasionally recycled - particularly regarding pilot histories. On a high note, the archival photography included is fantastic.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicely illustrated history of the iconic X-15 program written by a curator at the Smithsonian NASM, as well as a former engineer on the project. The X-15, while not as well known at the X-1, was instrumental as an aviation laboratory for the growing space program, as well as several pilots, such as Scott Crossfield and Neil Armstrong. Overall, a nice introduction.