Skip to main content

Search

My Visit
Donate
Home Smithsonian Institution

Site Navigation

  • Visit
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Entry and Guidelines
    • Maps and Brochures
    • Dine and Shop
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Group Visits
      • Group Sales
  • What's On
    • Exhibitions
      • Current
      • Upcoming
      • Past
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX & Planetarium
  • Explore
    • - Art & Design
    • - History & Culture
    • - Science & Nature
    • - Innovation & Tech
    • Collections
      • Open Access
      • Snapshot
    • Research Resources
      • Libraries
      • Archives
        • Smithsonian Institution Archives
        • Air and Space Museum
        • Anacostia Community Museum
        • American Art Museum
        • Archives of American Art
        • Archives of American Gardens
        • American History Museum
        • American Indian Museum
        • Asian Art Museum Archives
        • Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art
        • Hirshhorn Archive
        • National Anthropological Archives
        • National Portrait Gallery
        • Ralph Rinzler Archives, Folklife
        • Libraries' Special Collections
    • Podcasts
    • Stories
  • Learn
    • For Caregivers
    • For Educators
      • Art & Design Resources
      • Science & Nature Resources
      • Social Studies & Civics Resources
      • STEAM Learning Resources
      • Professional Development
      • Events for Educators
      • Field Trips
    • For Students
    • For Academics
    • For Lifelong Learners
  • Support Us
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
    • Make a Gift
    • Volunteer
      • Smithsonian Call Center
      • Ambassador Program
      • Museum Information Desk
      • Docent Programs
      • Behind-the-Scenes
      • Digital Volunteers
      • Participatory Science
  • About
    • Our Organization
      • Board of Regents
        • Members
        • Committees
        • Reading Room
        • Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
        • Schedules and Agendas
        • Meeting Minutes
        • Actions
        • Webcasts
        • Contact
      • Museums and Zoo
      • Research Centers
      • Cultural Centers
      • Education Centers
      • General Counsel
        • Legal History
        • Internships
        • Records Requests
          • Reading Room
        • Tort Claim
        • Subpoenas & Testimonies
        • Events
      • Office of Human Resources
        • Employee Benefits
        • How to Apply
        • Job Opportunities
        • Job Seekers with Disabilities
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • SI Civil Program
        • Contact Us
      • Office of Equal Opportunity
        • EEO Complaint Process
        • Individuals with Disabilities
        • Small Business Program
          • Doing Business with Us
          • Contracting Opportunities
          • Additional Resources
        • Special Emphasis Programs
      • Sponsored Projects
        • Policies
          • Combating Trafficking in Persons
          • Animal Care and Use
          • Human Research
        • Reports
        • Internships
    • Our Leadership
    • Reports and Plans
      • Annual Reports
      • Metrics Dashboard
        • Dashboard Home
        • Virtual Smithsonian
        • Public Engagement
        • National Collections
        • Research
        • People & Operations
      • Strategic Plan
    • Newsdesk
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • Photos and Video
      • Media Kits
      • Fact Sheets
      • Visitor Stats
      • Secretary and Admin Bios
      • Filming Requests

North American X-15 Flight Record

National Air and Space Museum

Object Details

Creator
United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Reaction Motors, Inc.
Names
North American Aviation, Inc.
United States. Air Force
Dryden, Hugh L. (Hugh Latimer), Dr., 1898-1965
Topic
Aeronautics
Propulsion systems
Research aircraft
Supersonic planes
North American X-15
Provenance
Unknown, found in collection, 1992, NASM.1992.0020.0076.
Creator
United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Reaction Motors, Inc.
See more items in
North American X-15 Flight Record
Summary
This collection consists of two items relating to the X-15 Flight Test Program: a 24-page booklet, X-15 Flight Record with Thiokol Liquid Rocket Engines, prepared by the Thiokol Chemical Corporation, Reaction Motors Division, from flight data compiled by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (Third Printing, January 1964); and an event program for the X-15 Flight Test Program Awards Ceremony held at the NASA Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on February 24, 1964.
Biographical / Historical
First flown in 1959, the North American X-15 hypersonic research aircraft bridged the gap between human flight in the atmosphere and spaceflight. Three airframes were built by North American Aviation, Inc. for the X-15 program (serial numbers 56-6670, 56-6671, and 56-6672) each using liquid rocket engines built by the Reaction Motors Division of the Thiokol Chemical Corporation. Based at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Flight Research Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California, the X-15 was the first winged aircraft to fly Mach 4, 5, and 6 and to operate at altitudes above 30,500 m (100,000 ft). Eight of the twelve test pilots received astronaut wings for X-15 high-altitude flights.
Extent
.05 Cubic feet (1 folder)
Date
1964
Archival Repository
National Air and Space Museum Archives
Identifier
NASM.1992.0020.0076
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Citation
North American X-15 Flight Record, Acc. NASM.1992.0020.0076, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Arrangement
Items are arranged in chronological order.
Processing Information
Arranged, described, and encoded by Melissa A. N. Keiser, 2023.
Rights
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of two items, a 7 x 5 inch booklet and an 8 x 5 inch event program. The 24-page booklet, X-15 Flight Record with Thiokol Liquid Rocket Engines, "prepared by the Thiokol Chemical Corporation, Reaction Motors Division, from flight data compiled by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration" (Third Printing, January 1964, publication number PL 1-64) is designed as a souvenir of the X-15 flight test program. The illustrated booklet contains a brief history of the X-15 program and the three X-15 vehicles built by North American Aviation, Inc. using Thiokol reusable liquid rocket engines; a list of X-15 test pilots; brief information about the Thiokol XLR11 and YLR99 engines; and a chronological list of flight record entries beginning with the first flight on June 8, 1959. Each flight record entry (designed to appear handwritten) lists the date, pilot, speed and altitude reached, and remarks. Flights 1 through 98 (January 8, 1964) are pre-printed, with blank spaces provided "to help you log future successes" (space is provided to record information on 148 flights total). The program is for the X-15 Flight Test Program Awards Ceremony held at the NASA Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on February 24, 1964. This event included the presentation of a NASA Group Achievement Award to the X-15 Flight Test Program team as well as the presentation of individual awards. Featured speakers included Hugh L. Dryden (Deputy Administrator, NASA), Paul F. Bikle (Director, NASA Flight Research Center), and Brigadier General Irving L. Branch (US Air Force, Commander, Air Force Flight Test Center).
Restrictions
No restrictions on access
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1672949700763-1672949700922-0
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg22a266697-564c-41a8-a043-913cadc5d854

In the Collection

  • Program, X-15 Flight Test Program Awards Ceremony (Edwards AFB, California)

  • Booklet, X-15 Flight Record with Thiokol Liquid Rocket Engines

NASM-9A19579, X-15 Flight Test Program Awards Ceremony event program, February 24, 1964.
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer
View Finding aid

Footer logo

Link to homepage

Footer navigation

  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Get Involved
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Accessibility
  • EEO & Small Business
  • Shop Online
  • Host Your Event
  • Press Room
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use

Social media links

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn

Get the latest news from the Smithsonian

Sign up for Smithsonian e-news

Get the latest news from the Smithsonian

Email powered by BlackBaud (Privacy Policy, Terms of Use)
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Back to Top