Table of Contents FOREWORD: WILLIAM H. DANA Chapter 1 A New Science X-PLANES WHAT WAS ACHIEVED? HYPERSONICS THE MISSILE INFLUENCE MILITARY SUPPORT A CONVINCING CASE THE DOUGLAS MODEL 671 CHAPTER 2 A Hypersonic Research Airplane DEVELOPING A CONSENSUS ENGINE OPTIONS THE COMPETITION THE AIRFRAME EVALUATION SECOND THOUGHTS CHAPTER 3 Conflict and Innovation CHANGES THE FIRST INDUSTRY CONFERENCE (1956) MOCKUP INSPECTION STRUCTURAL FABRICATION HIGH-ALTITUDE GIRDLES ESCAPE SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT STABLE PLATFORM DEVELOPMENT BALL NOSE DEVELOPMENT FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEMS LANDING GEAR EVOLUTION THE SECOND INDUSTRY CONFERENCE (1958) CHAPTER 4 The Million-Horsepower Engine ENGINE PROPOSALS THE ENGINE EVALUATION ENGINE AWARD THE TR-139 THE 1956 INDUSTRY CONFERENCE MORE PROBLEMS ROCKETS IN THE HIGH DESERT CONTINUING CHALLENGES RETROSPECT POST X-15 AEROJET LR91 REACTION MOTORS XLR11 CHAPTER 5 High Range And Dry Lakes MUROC TO EDWARDS THE HIGH-SPEED FLIGHT STATION THE HIGH RANGE DRY LAKES CHAPTER 6 Preparations SIMULATIONS CARRIER AIRCRAFT CHASE AND SUPPORT AIRCRAFT IMPLICATIONS OF SPUTNIK MORE X-15S? COST OVERRUNS CHAPTER 7 The Flight Program ROLLOUT FLIGHT PROGRAM OVERVIEW FLIGHT DESCRIPTION FLIGHT DAY THE ORIGINAL CONTRACTOR PLAN THE ORIGINAL GOVERNMENT PLAN REVISIONS CAN IT FLY? 1959 FLIGHT PERIOD 1960 FLIGHT PERIOD 1961 FLIGHT PERIOD 1962 FLIGHT PERIOD 1963 FLIGHT PERIOD 1964 FLIGHT PERIOD 1965 FLIGHT PERIOD 1966 FLIGHT PERIOD 1967 FLIGHT PERIOD 1968 FLIGHT PERIOD CORRECTING AN OVERSIGHT CHAPTER 8 The Research Program RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH MH-96 ADAPTIVE CONTROL SYSTEM THE FOLLOW-ON PROGRAM EXPERIMENT ACCOMMODATIONS EARLY PLANNING APPROVED TEST-BED EXPERIMENTS OTHER FLOWN EXPERIMENTS RECOVERABLE BOOSTER SYSTEM RAMJETS THIN DELTA WINGS HIRES APPENDIX A Selected Biographies MICHAEL J. ADAMS, USAF NEIL A. ARMSTRONG, NASA JOHN V. BECKER, NASA PAUL F. BIKLE, NASA A. SCOTT CROSSFIELD, NAA WILLIAM H. DANA, NASA HUGH L. DRYDEN, NASA JOE H. ENGLE, USAF CHARLES H. FELTZ, NAA IVEN C. KINCHELOE, JR., USAF WILLIAM J. KNIGHT, USAF JOHN A. MANKE, NASA JOHN B. MCKAY, NASA FORREST S. PETERSON, USN ROBERT A. RUSHWORTH, USAF HARTLEY A. SOULÉ, NASA HARRISON A. STORMS, JR., NAA MILTON O. THOMPSON, NASA JOSEPH A. WALKER, NASA ALVIN S. WHITE, NAA ROBERT M. WHITE, USAF WALTER C. WILLIAMS, NASA APPENDIX B X-15 Flight Log APPENDIX C PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE X-15 AIRPLANE