The Insane Engineering of the X-15
An evening pause: This history, largely forgotten, seems especially significant now that the first wholly commercial space flights are about to happen.
Hat tip Lazarus Long.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
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We took more risks as a society then. Thing is…if NASA blew up things in the fail-fast mode–and Musk was careful like ULA, but didn’t launch often-wouldn’t libertarian purists still be on Elon’s side? They’d praise how careful he was-instead of blowing up rockets right and left on the taxpayer’s dime…and they would still want the gov’t rocket dead-even if it was SLS that stuck a landing…just a little thought. Of course-back in the day…it was a Democrat who was a big anti-spending zealot…and in his memory…all space toilets should be called ‘proxmires.’
That, for me, was so much fun to watch. Informative, entertaining, well done. Its amazing to think about all the different bits of technology that had to come together to make this project possible. Including how those technologies interacted with one another. The human mind, and math, is capable of so much good. I salute these pioneers for what they accomplished.
For now, there is UCF’s HyperREACT of Kareem Ahmed who thinks there could be a hypersonic combustion break through-while at phys.org…there was recent news of a thermal cloak. I wanted a Buran type Shuttle II so that the SSMEs are on the External Tank-like SLS-but large winged airframes would be on the side.
You need large airframes to do testing right-thus my support for big stage-and-a-half SLS…hoping it can evolve back to side mount.
But both old and new space are thinking capsules…ugh.
Now I hear Bill Gates has a divorce. Maybe someone can talk him into being a space investor.
The cause of Winged Spaceflight deserves better than Branson.
“Now I hear Bill Gates has a divorce. Maybe someone can talk him into being a space investor.” –Jeff Wright
Anybody else concerned that the wealthiest Americans are developing “off planet” plans? Do they know something the rest of us don’t?
I have the movie X-15 (1961 Richard Donner). Mediocre movie, but there are some ‘names’, and lot’s of USAF footage.
That was really good.
We lost one of three killing pilot Michael Adams.
I think I read somewhere that before the the space race, the thinking at the time was we would fly into space by extending the size and capabilities of vehicles like the X-15.
You can blame Tom Wolfe for that. TEST GODS writes about said fighter jock culture. But it held space back. Medaris was talking Starship sized troop rockets back in the ABMA days….before the Air Farce had it killed. Medaris would have loved Musk. I wish they could have met.
And yet…I do hope for a Buran type Orion III spaceship one day. The pull is strong. One day…