1959–1969—During this time, 199 flights were made by three X-15 aircraft. On August 22, 1963, flight reached an all-time altitude record of 354,000 feet. On the flight of October 3, 1967, a record speed of Mach 6.7 was reached. This program produced invaluable data on aerodynamic heating, high-temperature materials, reaction controls, and space suits.

1963–1976—Lifting Body Vehicles Research Program. The program consisted of multiple operations that flight-tested the concept of using a vehicle body as compared to wings to generate lift.

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