ОписаниеX-15 Mated to B-52 Captive Flight - GPN-2000-000109 (cropped).jpg
English: One of three X-15 rocket-powered research aircraft being carried aloft under the wing of its B-52 mothership. The X-15 was air launched from the B-52 so the rocket plane would have enough fuel to reach its high speed and altitude test points.
For flight in the dense air of the usable atmosphere, the X-15 used conventional aerodynamic controls. For flight in the thin air outside of the appreciable Earth's atmosphere, the X-15 used a reaction control system. Hydrogen peroxide thrust rockets located on the nose of the aircraft provided pitch and yaw control. Those on the wings provided roll control.
The X-15s made a total of 199 flights over a period of nearly 10 years and set world's unofficial speed and altitude records of 4,520 miles per hour (Mach 6.7) and 354,200 feet. Information gained from the highly successful X-15 program contributed to the development of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo manned spaceflight programs and also the Space Shuttle program.
На веб-сайте NASA размещено большое число изображений Советского/Российского космического агентства и других неамериканских космических агентств. Они вовсе не обязательно находятся в общественном достоянии.
Совместный проект SOHO (ESA & NASA) предполагает, что все материалы, созданные их зондом, защищены авторским правом и требуют разрешения для коммерческого необразовательного использования. [2]