hypersonics

Cleared Direct Oct 9, 2026

The X-Fifteen, the Mach Six Point Seven Speed Record No Powered Aircraft Has Broken Since, and the Rocket Plane That Handed the Space Shuttle Its Blueprint

The X-15 set the all-time air speed record of Mach 6.72 in 1967, and its thermal, control, and reentry data directly shaped Apollo, the Space Shuttle, and every hypersonic vehicle in development today.

Vector

ATIS Sep 29, 2026

The SR-71 Blackbird, Number Eight Forty-Four, and Whether NASA Is About to Wake Up the Fastest Jet the World Has Ever Seen

NASA quietly removed SR-71 Blackbird tail number 844 from static display at Armstrong Flight Research Center, fueling speculation about a possible return to flight.

Tower