X-15 Flight 35

Flight 35 of the North American X-15 was a test flight conducted by NASA and the US Air Force on March 30, 1961.^[1] The X-15 was piloted by Joseph A. Walker to an altitude of 169,600 feet (51.7 km; 32.12 mi) surpassing the stratopause.^[2] Thus Walker became the first human to reach the mesosphere.^[3] This human altitude record lasted about two weeks, until Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space on Vostok 1 on April 12, 1961.^[4] Joe Walker would later pilot the X-15 into space. The flight landed at Edwards Air Force Base.

Flight 35

Mission type	Test flight
Operator	USAF/NASA
Apogee	169,600 feet (51.7 km; 32.12 mi)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	X-15
Manufacturer	North American
Crew
Crew size	1
Members	Joseph A. Walker
Start of mission
Launch date	March 30, 1961 (1961-03-30Z) UTC
End of mission
Landing date	March 30, 1961 (1961-03-31Z) UTC
Landing site	Rogers Dry Lake, Edwards

References

1. "X-15 Flight Log". Proceedings of the X-15 First Flight 30th Anniversary Celebration (PDF) (Technical report). Edwards, California: NASA. June 8, 1989. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 25, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
2. McDowell, Jonathan (1994). "The X-15 Spaceplane" (PDF). Quest. Vol. 3, no. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 25, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
3. McDowell, Jonathan. "Jonathan McDowell's Additions to English". Jonathan's Space Report. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
4. Kumpa, Peter J. (April 13, 1961). "Cosmonaut is landed in good shape". The Baltimore Sun. Vol. 248, no. 126. p. 1. Archived from the original on October 25, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.

Notes