Fact Sheet
Rocketplane!
The X-15, the first rocketplane, cruises above the California desert during a testflight. During almost 200 powered flights, the X-15 set records for altitude and speed that have been exceeded only by space missions. Lessons from the craft have been applied to the space shuttle and a new generational of commercial rocketplanes. The X-15 made its first, unpowered testflight in June 1959. [NASA/DFRC]
|