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 ...

An important part of data collection for the United States space program, the North American X-15 had astonishing performance utilizing the technology of the 1950s and 60s. The North American X-15 was ...

-Air-launched from a B-52, the X-15 reached a record-breaking speed of Mach 6.7 and flew high enough to earn astronaut wings for eight of its pilots. -While never intended as a weapon, the X-15 was a ...

An aircraft capable of hitting 4,520 mph (nearly seven times the speed of sound) is ludicrous to even think about, but the North American X-15 achieved this, defying comparison to any other aircraft ...