The North American X-15 did more than set records; it quietly redrew the map of what a piloted aircraft could survive at the edge of space. By pushing hypersonic flight to extremes that still stand ...

Key Points and Summary - The X-15 was a rocket-powered research aircraft that pushed human flight to the edge of space and deep into the hypersonic regime. -Air-launched from a B-52, three X-15s flew ...

"The X-15, which flew from 1959-1970, is still the most advanced research aircraft ever developed and flown, and hangs in a place of honor in the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum. Its test pilots ...