Hypersonic: The Story of the North American X-15 (Specialty Press) (Specialty Press) [Paperback]

Tony R. Landis (Author), Dennis R. Jenkins (Author)

Book Description

Series: Specialty Press | Publication Date: July 15, 2008

Nineteen years before Space Shuttle, the small, black, rocket-powered, bullet-shaped X-15 showed it was possible to fly into - and out of - space. There had never been anything like the X-15; it had a million-horsepower engine and could fly twice as fast as a rifle bullet. The X-15 set records that stood for years.

Specialty Press' bestseller, Hypersonic, has been re-released in a new softbound format at a reduced price. This book is the most extensively researched history of the X-15 program yet produced. The book was written with the cooperation of surviving X-15 pilots as well as many other program principals and is based on six years of research in Air Force, NASA, and North American archives. It covers the tasks of converting and testing the B-52 carrier airplanes, building the first full-pressure suits to protect the pilot, building the first engineering mission simulators, acquiring the remote lakebed landing sites, and building the radar range. It also covers the flight program in detail, including the most authoritative flight log ever assembled; in many instances, information in this log was derived from the original flight data recordings.

Also covered are each of the experiments that were flown aboard the X-15 late in its career when it became the workhorse of the space program, carrying such things as startrackers destined for the Apollo program and missile detection systems that would later be sent into orbit on satellites.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Rocket plane: The term now conjures images from vintage pulp sci-fi. But in a program that began years before Gagarin and Shepard launched the space race, NASA's X-15 research vehicle ambitiously arched towards the fringes of space, expanding the speed-and-altitude envelope of manned flight like none before it. In the course of a 199 flights over a decade, the X-15 became the first manned aircraft to rocket past Mach 4, 5 and 6; soared some 67 miles above the Earth (earning a handful of its dozen pilots their Astronaut wings, though ironically not Neil Armstrong, later first to set foot on the Moon); and crucially gathered the cornerstone data that enabled the Space Shuttle's return from space a couple decades later. Authors/historians/archivists Dennis Jenkins and Tony Landis have produced nothing short of a landmark history of the X-15's pioneering effort which, they argue, was the most productive flight test program ever)-- the first truly comprehensive chronicle of every phase of its pre-history, development, and often perilous journeys (USAF pilot Mike Adams was killed on one of the craft's final flights, while several others suffered injuries in mishaps). Fueled by an obvious passion for their subject, the authors skillfully boil a daunting body of history, technical data, and personalities down into an eminently accessible chronicle of technical achievement and human bravery. In doing so they've drawn on a wealth of documentary materials and interviews from pilots, NASA and USAF sources and key personnel from North American Aviation, the X-15's manufacturer. Pilots Scott Crossfield and Bill Dana (the first and last to fly the spaceplane, respectively) have also contributed written introductions. --Jerry McCulley --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

If there's anything you want to know about the X-15 program, then this book is for you-and now at a much less expensive rate. ---Internet Modeler, reviewed by Matt Bittner, September 2008

If you get the impression that this is the most complete, most detailed, and most well-researched book ever written on the X-15 program, then you are correct. This is a book that every aviation enthusiast should have on their shelves. My highest recommendation. ---Modeling Madness, reviewed by Scott Van Aken, August 2008

If you're into the X-15, you'll want to get a copy of this book. Highest recommendation for this one!!! - --IPMS, reviewed by Dennie Adams, November 2008

If you get the impression that this is the most complete, most detailed, and most well-researched book ever written on the X-15 program, then you are correct. This is a book that every aviation enthusiast should have on their shelves. My highest recommendation. ---Modeling Madness, reviewed by Scott Van Aken, August 2008

If you're into the X-15, you'll want to get a copy of this book. Highest recommendation for this one!!! ---IPMS, reviewed by Dennie Adams, November 2008

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: Specialty Pr Pub & Wholesalers; illustrated edition edition (July 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580071317
• ISBN-13: 978-1580071314
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #422,472 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outta Sight!!, July 18, 2003

By 

James M. Busby (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hypersonic! The Story of the North American X-15 (Hardcover)

I admit it- if it was built by North American, I'll usually like it.
But Jenkins and Landis have scored big with this book.
The X-15 was the most sucessful X-plane. but so much was unknown about what it did in it's 199 flights, and the fact is-it's successes were not yelled from the top of the N.A.A. plant at Los Angeles!
Everyone who loved that aircraft felt that there was a void until recently. The Apogee book and this one especially, tell the story about how we pursued entry into space with wings. "Hypersonic" is the book that future Historians will be using to learn about the fantastic feats that the X-15 accomplished. This volume and the follow up scrapbook are long overdue homage to those first early days of manned spaceflight!
This is THE must read book about the X-15!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No binding problems here, April 9, 2003

By 

Dennis R. Jenkins (Cape Canaveral, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hypersonic! The Story of the North American X-15 (Hardcover)

I am one of the authors, and was a bit concerned by a point raised in Mr. Reid's review. I appreciate that he liked the book, and I truly hope he enjoys it.

However, if Mr. Reid feels the binding is causing him concern, I suggest he contact the publisher. I have had my book (I get an advance) for a while now and have not noticed any cause for concern, and my copy has been extensively looked through by a lot of people. This printer generally turns out a very superior product, and I know that the publisher was excited by this book and would not have scrimped on the binding. Perhaps Mr. Reid simply somehow received a defective copy.

I urge Mr. Reid to call Specialty to resolve the issue. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy reading it and looking at all the great photos Tony managed to find for it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, July 31, 2003

By 

Jurg Bolli (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hypersonic! The Story of the North American X-15 (Hardcover)

This is a fabulous book about the X-15, one of my favorite planes/spacecraft. It is full of beautiful illustrations and great text; it is an absolute must-have if you are in the least interested in the X-15 and the early space program.