A. Scott Crossfield | Robert M. White | Forrest S. Petersen |
Robert A. Rushworth | Joe H. Engle | William H. Dana |
Milton O. Thompson | William J. Knight | Paul F. Bikle |
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Pilots' panel participants (l. to r.): A. Scott Crossfield, Robert M. White, Forrest S. Petersen, Robert A. Rushworth, Paul F. Bikle, Joe H. Engle, Milton O.Ihompson, William J. Knight, and William H. Dana. |
Dear Friends, I am depressed, dejected, despondent, downcast and disheartened to miss the fun of the X-15 gathering this week. As frequently is the case, NASA Headquarters had a different idea for the working folks and shanghaied me off to another assignment. All of us have warm memories of the X- 15 project. When we're having trouble keeping airplanes flying front forward at Mach numbers around 2, the idea of building a Mach 7, 1400 degree aircraft seemed audacious. It was! A big research project by the standards of the time, it had the charm of everybody knowing everybody else involved-a far cry from Apollo. During the World's Fair in Seattle in 1962, a special program honored a handful of folks who exceeded 100,000 ft in altitude (some of us from the X-15 project were there of course). We were properly humbled when we were outnumbered by the balloonists. Like any effort at the frontiers of knowledge, the X-15 collected both triumphs and tragedies, but few programs come to mind that enjoyed success and esteem over such a long period of time. All of us take a great deal of pride in our respective roles in the effort. Good luck to all of you. I miss being there, but hope we will run into each other at Smith's Ranch or downtown Beatty. [Signed] Neil |
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Front row (l. to r.): William J. (Pete) Knight, Paul F. Bikle (former Center Director), Milton O. Thompson, and Forrest S. Petersen. Rear (l. to r.): A. Scott Crossfield, William H. Dana, Joe H. Engle, Robert M. White, and Robert A. Rushworth. |