Research Project X-15 - Hypersonic Research Aircraft, NASA, 1960s, HD Remaster
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- Restored NASA documentary from the 1960s about the X-15 research aircraft. Footage from several historical flights is shown, along with crews and hardware.
The video was remasted to improve color balance and stability. AI upscale (Topaz AI) was used to resample the video to full HD resolution. While it works in most cases, some artifacts are present in some sequences.
Sound and image cleanup, AI upscale and color restoration by RetroSpace HD. Some music segments were replaced by background sounds.
The North American X-15 is a hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft operated by the United States Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the X-plane series of experimental aircraft. The X-15 set speed and altitude records in the 1960s, crossing the edge of outer space and returning with valuable data used in aircraft and spacecraft design.
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I am immensely grateful for all the work done on restoring these old agency films.
My father was chief Aerodynamicist for NACA, and then NASA, before promotion to Director of Space Vehicles Research and Development. He was deeply involved with promotion and oversight of the X15 from HQ. Joe Walker was a personal friend and was at our house several times.
This film brings back many memories from an amazing time to be alive.
Thank You!
Did he work with Hugh Dryden? I find it interesting when the X15 program started, Dryden was able have NACA manage it while the Air Force and Navy paid for it.
Great story! Thank you for sharing this. 👍👍👌
@@wrightmf Oh yes. Worked at HQ which was the Dolly Madison House on the edge of Lafayette Park, just a block or so from the White House. Sometimes when he went in on Saturdays he would take me along. I was just a few years old. Dad had all these manufacturers models in his office and I would take some and play in the hallway, and on the stairs. One time, Dr Dryden came along and stopped to talk and zoomed some models with me. I didn’t know who he was until Dad told me later.
@@wrightmf NACA was authorized in 1952 to conduct research on issues of Space and Space Flight. The X15 was planned as a tool to explore the highest altitudes and speeds. NACA thought of space as someplace you would fly in to, and back. Rather than shot up in a container on the tip of a rocket.
NACA also got the air force to turn over the X1 to them for flight testing. Initially Bell was planning to break the sound barrier as little more than a stunt. NACA convinced the AF let them conduct a full flight test program, with an AF pilot instead of Bells pilot Slick Goodlin. They wanted to learn everything about what this barrier thing was. How the air flowed, what shape it took, how it changed with change of speed and attitude. They found Yeager a nuisance, not a test pilot mentality of careful flight plan execution. Nor understanding the purpose of probing and examining, taking the data and plotting what it all meant. Then deciding how to probe and what to examine next. The purpose was to gain extensive knowledge not conduct a stunt. The movie TRS was a cartoon compared to the real story.
@@hifi6638 Cool! I never liked when they renamed DFRC to AFRC, I think Neil would agree to keep it in Dryden's name. After all, with no Hugh Dryden may not have the X15 which Armstrong flew. And the story goes when JFK asked senior NASA management of what sort of space project to get ahead of the Soviets, Dryden suggested a man on the moon.
My favorite space program as a kid. Technology decades ahead of its time. Conceived in 1952. Still looks state of the art.
I first learned of X15 when in 1970s I found National Geographic issue from 1960s that had article about the X15 written by Joe Walker. And also had awesome photos (Kodak Xtrachrome), I was totally amazed, "wow they had a spaceplane back then!?!?" Few years later just after STS-1 NBC had a program about the X15, one part is where Scott Crossfield talked about many times it was tedious preparing the vehicle for flight even when mated to B52 and fueled, he said one time he sat in that for 8 hours while the techs were working to get all the systems functioning.
@@ THIS!! @@
I hope I still have this issue somewhere
Thank you for sharing this! 👍👌
I think that film was the one by NBC called “The Rocket Pilots” - absolutely the BEST documentary on that period I have ever seen. It was everything The Right Stuff should have been. Unfortunately there are no clean copies available that I can find. Only copies of copies of slow speed VHS recordings. I would pay serious money for a good copy of that documentary. In the 1990s I contacted NBC to try and get access to the original as I was a video editor working on and mastering national programs. The word I got was it was dumped in some giant warehouse and no one had any idea where.
@@hifi6638 Another example of "save your physical media"
The issue of National Geographic is the September 1962 issue and the article is entitled "I Fly the X-15." The NBC News special was part of their "An American Adventure " series, and it aired in September 1981, a couple of months prior to the launch of STS-2. Great documentary. I have an excellent copy, but unfortunately have no way to upload it to RUclips.
Thanks for restoring. Excellent footage.
This is a great restoration of this film. More can be done but may not be necessary.
This is, by far, the best and most complete restoration I have ever seen of this seminal NASA film. It is great work.
My name is Friday I fly a experimental jet
Thank you for this video! I’ve always loved aviation and space flight. The X-15 was one of my favorite. I wrote to many astronauts (through NASA) in the early 70s and many sent me autographs. They’re among my most prized possessions. 🚀 👍👌
It's a shame that in 60s US stopped development of key technologies very relevant nowadays: x-15, thorium reactors, space vehicles
The X-15! My favorite!
Narrator sounds like Jack Webb- Dragnet/ Badge 714
No, not Jack Webb.
Hey, Ridley! Ya got any Beeman's?
I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW POTENTIALLY HOW FAST & HOW HIGH COULD THE X-15 GO ? ? ?🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
The X-15 could have achieved a maximum altitude of approximately 450,000 feet, and still been able to survive reentry. A maximum of Mach 8 was possible with the ablative coating and the external tanks, but Mach 6.70 (4,5320 mph) was the maximum ever achieved during the program.
@@x15galmichelleevans THAT IS INCREDIBLE & THE X-15 WAS AN AWESOME MACHINE & FAR MORE IMPRESSIVE THAN VIRGIN GALACTIC SPACE SHIP TWO ! ! !
@@AndrewHillis_2024 Yes, the X-15 did many incredible things. If you are interested in the program, you would like my book, "The X-15 Rocket Plane, Flying the First Wings into Space."
One doesn’t hear a lot about the x-2
Interesting bit of information.A guy trying to smoke a cigarette.In an A-7 corsair 2 crashed into scott crossfield's office and destroyed all the records of his early flights in the x-15
That’s incredible. Thanks for the story! 👍👍👌
With all the oxygen around it may not be just Crossfield's office that was wrecked. Really some people ...
Just to be clear, it was actually Scotty's secretary's apartment that was destroyed by the crash. Scotty had transferred all his documents to her so that she could start to set up everything for a transfer to the archives. Luckily she was out at the time of the crash, so she was not hurt, but all his records were indeed lost. The incident occurred at 8:13 p.m. on 7 February 1973. Two Corsairs were on a training flight out of Sacramento, heading to Lemoore Naval Air Station. The flight leader was Lt. John B. Pianetta, with his wingman, Lt. Robert L. Ward. Ward was the pilot who decided to smoke, and ended up killing himself and ten others on the ground.
The F-104 seen at 18:14 was involved in an infamous accident involving a PR photo for North American. Joe Walker was flying it in formation with the XB-70 prototype when the 104 got caught up in the complex air flow over the bomber's wings. It snapped inverted and crashed into the 70 knocking off one of the vertical fins and rendering the plane unflyable. The 104 exploded and Walker was killed. The pilot of 70 ejected and survived but his co-pilot did not.
Thank you for remastering this treasure of a film. There's only one X-15 driver still alive (General Joe Engle, USAF Ret., age 91) so seeing so many of the other X-15 pilots was fantastic, especially Joe Walker who perished when his F-104 collided with XB-70 62-0207 on June 8, 1966. This is also the only film I've seen of Harrison Storms, who "took the fall" for North American after the Apollo 1 fire on January 27, 1967 (North American had proposed a mixed-gas atmosphere for the Apollo command module which was rejected by NASA in favor of pure oxygen).
Very interesting! Thank you for sharing. 👍👍👌
Unfortunately, Joe Engle is no longer with us. He passed away at the age of 91 on 10 July 2024. He was the last of the X-15 pilots, and we now have the end of an era. He was an amazing person, and I was very honored to have him write the Foreword to my book, "The X-15 Rocket Plane, Flying the First Wings into Space." He and I did numerous presentations over the years on the X-15 such as at the US Air Force Academy.
@@x15galmichelleevans I'm looking forward to reading your book
@@n6mz Many thanks for checking it out. I'm sure you will enjoy it.
Balls 008 and balls 003 in the same video. We are blessed 😊
They are blessed to be on film.
@@Nighthawke70 There are many films which have both of the motherships, and both can also be seen in person. 008 is at the North Gate at Edwards AFB and 003 is at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.
Yet another fascinating period documentary...😎