North American X-15 Flight Record

This collection consists of two items, a 7 x 5 inch booklet and an 8 x 5 inch event program. The 24-page booklet, X-15 Flight Record with Thiokol Liquid Rocket Engines, "prepared by the Thiokol Chemical Corporation, Reaction Motors Division, from flight data compiled by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration" (Third Printing, January 1964, publication number PL 1-64) is designed as a souvenir of the X-15 flight test program. The illustrated booklet contains a brief history of the X-15 program and the three X-15 vehicles built by North American Aviation, Inc. using Thiokol reusable liquid rocket engines; a list of X-15 test pilots; brief information about the Thiokol XLR11 and YLR99 engines; and a chronological list of flight record entries beginning with the first flight on June 8, 1959. Each flight record entry (designed to appear handwritten) lists the date, pilot, speed and altitude reached, and remarks. Flights 1 through 98 (January 8, 1964) are pre-printed, with blank spaces provided "to help you log future successes" (space is provided to record information on 148 flights total). The program is for the X-15 Flight Test Program Awards Ceremony held at the NASA Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on February 24, 1964. This event included the presentation of a NASA Group Achievement Award to the X-15 Flight Test Program team as well as the presentation of individual awards. Featured speakers included Hugh L. Dryden (Deputy Administrator, NASA), Paul F. Bikle (Director, NASA Flight Research Center), and Brigadier General Irving L. Branch (US Air Force, Commander, Air Force Flight Test Center).

Items are arranged in chronological order.