Chuck Yeager had frequent opportunities to fly with Engle -- and against him in mock dogfights -- and he was extremely impressed by the young fighter pilot's attitude and ability. By the time he graduated from the school in , Yeager had become the commandant and, because he considered Engle "one of the sharpest pilots we had in the program," he immediately selected him for admission to the new Aerospace Research Pilot School ARPS which was being established at Edwards to train military astronauts.
He completed 16 flights in the rocket-powered hypersonic airplane, exceeding Mach 5 on ten of those flights and attaining a top speed of Mach 5. In June of , he also climbed to an altitude of , feet and thereby became one of only eight pilots-all from the X program-who have qualified for astronaut's wings by flying an airplane into space.
He went on to exceed the Air Force's mile threshold for astronaut rating on two subsequent X flights. At 32, he was the youngest man to become an astronaut. When NASA selected him as one of 19 new astronaut candidates in , he was truly in an unusual position; he was the only one who had already engaged in spaceflight operations.
By signing up you may also receive reader surveys and occasional special offers. We do not sell, rent or trade our email lists. Login or Register Customer Service. RISE —. PHASE —. Tonight's Sky — Change location. US state, Canadian province, or country. Tonight's Sky — Select location. Tonight's Sky — Enter coordinates.
UTC Offset:. Picture of the Day Image Galleries. Watch : Mining the Moon for rocket fuel. Queen guitarist Brian May and David Eicher launch new astronomy book. Last chance to join our Costa Rica Star Party!
Learn about the Moon in a great new book New book chronicles the space program. Dave's Universe Year of Pluto. Groups Why Join? Astronomy Day. The Complete Star Atlas. The shuttle broke apart at an altitude of 46, feet, a little less than 9 miles Among those lost that day was teacher Christina McAuliffe, who was slated to soon present two lessons to schoolchildren from space via worldwide television broadcasts.
Christa McAuliffe floating in zero gravity as part of her astronaut training. A line in the sky While there is no exact boundary that demarcates where sky meets space, for a person to be considered an astronaut, certain limits or thresholds must be surpassed. In general, Americans who fly above the altitude of 50 miles 80 km are considered to have earned the title of astronaut — a decision partially made to honor the three pilots who flew the X rocket plane above this altitude. Outside of the U.
By any of these definitions, however, McAuliffe, along with her first-timer crewmates Mike Smith and Greg Jarvis, did not fly in space and should not be considered astronauts. And once above Mach 1, the supersonic airflow over the whole aircraft made flight incredibly smooth. It took the British, the French and the Soviet Union five years to find that little trick.
The breakthrough gave us a quantum jump over the rest of the world in aerodynamics. Not really [laughs]. It was a lot easier than we thought it would be. You never give up. This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here. More From Forbes. May 5, , am EDT. May 1, , am EDT. Apr 28, , am EDT.
Apr 17, , am EDT. Apr 8, , am EDT. Mar 26, , am EDT. Mar 2, , am EST.
0コメント