a high-altitude filling station: air force captain tops off fuel tanks mid-air

In the later stages of the program, the X-15s would serve as platforms to carry numerous non-X-15 related experiments to high speeds and altitudes.

Evaluating various automatic control system and stability augmentation system designs.

Measuring a number of pilot biomedical parameters, especially the effects of high accelerations and weightless flight.

Measuring aerodynamic heating effects experienced in hypersonic flight.

Measuring structural loads experienced in hypersonic flight.

Measuring air pressure distributions at hundreds of locations on the airframe.

Validation of various analytical tools used to predict airplane behavior.

Determining dynamic stability derivatives such as oscillation damping ratios about all three airplane axes for same purpose as above.

Determining static stability derivatives such as pitch and yaw restoring moments for same purpose as above.

Determining numerous airplane aerodynamic coefficients such as lift and drag coefficients at speeds and altitudes over the flight envelope to compare with wind tunnel results for validation of tunnel designs and testing procedures.

NACA/NASA would then disseminate new knowledge and lessons learned in a series of reports, some classified and for the armed services primarily, and others intended for all industry and academic institutions.

Also it was desirable to at least gain a toe hold of knowledge about flight out of the atmosphere. The X-15 program’s reason for being was not to set records they would be incidental to the real purpose of developing and providing information on technical aspects of hypersonic flight.

6 Farewell to the High Speed Flight Station.

A high-altitude filling station: air force captain tops off fuel tanks mid-air