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X-15 Flight 90

1963 American crewed sub-orbital spaceflight

Field	Value
name	Flight 90
mission_type	Test flight
operator	US Air Force/NASA
mission_duration	11 minutes, 24 seconds
suborbital_apogee	106.01 km
distance_travelled	534 km
spacecraft	X-15
manufacturer	North American
launch_mass	15195 kg
dry_mass	6577 kg
landing_mass	6260 kg
launch_date	UTC
launch_site	Balls 8, Edwards
Dropped over Smith Ranch Dry Lake

landing_date	UTC
landing_site	Rogers Dry Lake, Edwards
crew_size	1
crew_members	Joseph A. Walker
crew_photo	Joseph Albert Walker.jpg
crew_photo_caption	X-15 Flight 90 pilot, Joe Walker

Dropped over Smith Ranch Dry Lake

Flight 90 of the North American X-15 was a research flight conducted by NASA and the US Air Force on July 19, 1963. It was the first of two X-15 missions that passed the 100-km high Kármán line, the FAI definition of space, along with Flight 91 the next month. The X-15 was flown by Joseph A. Walker, who flew both X-15 spaceflights over the Kármán line.

Crew

Mission parameters

Mass: 15,195 kg fueled; 6,577 kg burnout; 6,260 kg landed
Maximum Altitude: 106.01 km., 347,800 feet
Range: 534 km
Burn Time: 84.6 seconds
Mach: 5.50
Launch Vehicle: NB-52B Bomber #008

Mission highlights

Maximum Speed - 5,971 km/h. Maximum Altitude - 106,010 m. 80 cm diameter balloon towed on 30 m line to measure air density. First X-15 flight over 100 km (a height known as the Kármán line). This made Walker the first US civilian in space. This was also the first spaceflight of a spaceplane in aviation history. First flight launched over Smith Dry Lake, NV. Experiments: Towed balloon, horizon scanner, photometer, infrared and ultraviolet. Balloon instrumentation failed.

The mission was flown by X-15 #3, serial 56–6672 on its 21st flight.

Launched by: NB-52B #008, Pilots Fulton & Bement. Takeoff: 17:19. UTC Landing: 19:04 UTC.

Chase pilots: Crews, Dana, Rogers, Daniel and Wood.

The X-15 engine burned about 85 seconds. Near the end of the burn, acceleration built up to about 4g (39 m/s²). Weightlessness lasted for 3 to 5 minutes. Re-entry heating warmed the exterior of the X-15 to 650 °C in places. During pull up after re-entry, the acceleration built up to 5g (49 m/s²) for 20 seconds. The entire flight lasted about 12 minutes from launch to landing.

Notes

References

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References

Evans, Larry. (November 27, 2006). "Higher & Faster: Memorial Fund Established for X-15 pilot". Space.com.

Info: Wikipedia Source

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1963-in-spaceflight x-15-flights

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