X-15 Flight 35 Explained

Flight 35
Mission Type:	Test flight
Operator:	USAF/NASA
Suborbital Apogee:	169600feet
Spacecraft:	X-15
Manufacturer:	North American
Crew Size:	1
Crew Members:	Joseph A. Walker
Launch Date:	UTC
Landing Date:	UTC
Landing Site:	Rogers Dry Lake, Edwards

Flight 35 of the North American X-15 was a test flight conducted by NASA and the US Air Force on March 30, 1961.^[1] The X-15 was piloted by Joseph A. Walker to an altitude of 169600feet surpassing the stratopause.^[2] Thus Walker became the first human to reach the mesosphere.^[3] This human altitude record lasted about two weeks, until Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space on Vostok 1 on April 12, 1961.^[4] Joe Walker would later pilot the X-15 into space. The flight landed at Edwards Air Force Base.

Notes and References

1. Proceedings of the X-15 First Flight 30th Anniversary Celebration . X-15 Flight Log . . October 25, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231025111815/https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/88211main_H-1622.pdf . October 25, 2023 . Edwards, California . June 8, 1989 . live .
2. McDowell . Jonathan . The X-15 Spaceplane . Quest . August 16, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231025112253/https://planet4589.org/space/papers/1994/x15.pdf . October 25, 2023 . 1994 . live . 3 . 1 .
3. Web site: McDowell . Jonathan . Jonathan McDowell's Additions to English . Jonathan's Space Report . October 25, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221210020330/http://planet4589.org/jcm/words.html . December 10, 2022 . live.
4. News: Kumpa . Peter J. . Cosmonaut is landed in good shape . October 25, 2023 . . 248 . 126 . April 13, 1961 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231025113249/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-cosmonaut-is-landed-in/134040876/ . October 25, 2023 . 1 . live .