A Plane That Left Space Behind!
462In July 1963, NASA decided to push its X-15 experimental hypersonic aircraft to the limits. They planned a flight above 62 miles, where space officially starts.
On July 19th, a NASA B-52 nicknamed “The Challenger” dropped the X-15, and the pilot, Joseph Walker, quickly pushed the jet’s XLR-99 engine to its limit. The engine roared and soon provided the jet with a remarkable speed of Mach 5.50. The pilot witnessed the blue sky turn black as he crossed the Kármán line and reached 66 miles high. The XLR-99 burned for 84 seconds and flew 6 miles higher than intended.
The plane later went through reentry and safely landed at Rogers Dry Lake. The pilot was given astronaut wings for this feat, and a month later, he broke his own record.
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