The North American X-15 was a plane unlike any other – and below we explain why (Image: NASA)
The fastest plane ever created could reach up to 4,520mph – the equivalent of going from London to New York in just 45 minutes.
It was called the NASA/USAF X-15 and it was an experimental aircraft designed by Nasa and the United States Air Force for a hypersonic research program.
The X-15 broke records when reaching the above top speed meaning it was more than five times the speed of sound. It also flew higher and faster than any piloted aircraft in history.
Known as the world’s first hypersonic spaceplane, it resembled a huge dart. Stephanie Smith, a US Air Force historian, spoke about the significance of the rocket plane.
It regularly flew into space and back again in just a matter of minutes (Image: NASA )
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She said: “In terms of manned aircraft, this was the pinnacle, it made records that have yet to be broken.” And speaking to the , she added: “This was the most productive research programme for aviation ever and really gave it that leap forward.”
But despite being quick enough to travel from Britain to America in under an hour, it was instead used to fly upwards beyond the atmosphere.
It went on 199 missions – starting in 1959 – and would reach space before coming whizzing back to Earth to the Edwards Air Force Base in California in less than 10 minutes. Tragically, one test pilot died in one of the outings.
The remarkable research involving the X-15 proved that an aircraft could go to space and back again – and historian Smith spoke about how admired the people behind it were.
A closer look at the rocket plane that completed 199 test flights in over nine years (Image: NASA)
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She said: “People at Edwards really looked up to those aviators, those astronauts, who flew the X-15. They idolised them – even the people who worked with them on the project really looked up to those pilots as being out there on the cutting edge, taking the risks.”
Despite ultimately being known as the first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstong also worked on the X-15 project and was one of the pilots. Nasa’s Dryden Flight Research Center was later renamed the Armstrong Flight Research Center for this very reason.
A NASA X-15 on the runway (Image: NASA)
But the man who unfortunately lost his life in the X-15 hypersonic research program was called Michael Adams and on November 15, 1967, in what was his seventh flight, a technical problem resulted in a fatal crash.
He was the only man to lose his life but a pilot called Jack McKay suffered serious injuries five years before in November 1962.
The X-15 rocket-powered aircraft crashed in Nevada in November 1962 – the pilot somehow survived (Image: Gado via Getty Images)
An engine failure resulted in an emergency landing at Mud Lake, Nevada, where the aircraft flipped on its back. Jack managed to survive and even flew again – before his injuries ultimately forced him to retire.
In total, the X-15 flew during a period of ten years and as well as getting up to 4,520mph, it also reached highs of 345,200ft. And information garnered from the research eventually helped in the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs.