Plane: X-15-2 Date: 4-21-61
Flight: 2-15-29 E.S.:  
Pilot: Major Robert White Taxi:  
B-52: #003 T.O.: 0919
L/P: J. Russel Launch: 1005
NASA 1:   Land: 1016

12 minutes to launch
 
White: Both BCS switches on. Everything checks. 
   
NASA 1: Roger. 
   
White: .......... 35. 
   
NASA 1: Precool switch off? 
   
White: Do you want the precool switch off now, right? It's off. 
   
NASA 1: 003, make this your 11 minute point, course is looking good. 
   
White: Blowers and LN2 are on and the pressure cooling .......... is normal now . 
   
NASA 1: Would like to confirm X- 15 LN2 supply is closed. 
   
Russel: LN2 supply is closed. 
   
NASA 1: And the stable platform cooling switch off? 
   
Russel: Stable platform cooling switch off. 
   
.......... : .......... 
   
B-52: 10 minutes, heading 013 degrees. 
   
White: Attitude is looking pretty good on the nose. Cabin source is 3500. 
   
NASA 1: Russell, are you on manual topoff? 
   
Russel: .......... manual topoff. 
   
B-52: 9 minutes. 
   
White: Data is on, #l APU coming on now. 
   
Russel: Blowers on. 
   
White: Hydraulics are up, .......... #l .......... went to blowers & hydraulics and is setting .......... APU's on. APU heat on.
   
White: Hydraulic pressure is up 4000, holding .......... generators reset, engines .......... 
   
NASA 1: How about your face plate heat, Bob? 
   
Russel: Doppler's normal. 
   
White: Data's off, face plate heat .......... control pressures look good. #l is running 200, #2 is running 450. 
   
NASA 1: Bob, check precool off please. 
   
B-52: 8 minutes. 
   
White: Oscillograph on, vibration recorders on, controls and flaps coming down . 
   
NASA 1: 003, start your turn in 7 minutes and 10 seconds. 
   
White: .......... power off. 
   
NASA 1: Bob, confirm engine reset. 
   
White: Thank you, you can shut power off, Russell. 
   
Russel: Blowers off, Bob. Inertial system is not in Specs, and velocity is ...... 
   
B-52: 7 minutes. 
   
White: Am I ready to go ahead and turn over internal platform? Fire extinguisher auto - OK fire ext .......... going to internal on the platform. Instrument SAS checks now. 
   
NASA 1: Course is looking very good. 
   
Russel: SAS check. 
   
White: SAS check complete, now reset to 4-4-6. 
   
NASA 1: Your fire ext. auto, Bob. 
   
White: That's correct, re-stabilize position .......... 
   
B-52: Stabilizer holding good and you're staying right on the white line. 6 minutes. You're still on the white line, Bob. 
   
NASA 1: Bob, what's your cabin source? 
   
White: Cabin source is 3400 - 3300 .......... 
   
B-52: 5 minutes. 
   
White: 5 minutes, X-15 oxygen selected, pressure at about 1800 (?) psi. 
   
NASA 1: What was your oxygen pressure, Bob? 
   
White: 1300, cine camera pulse, ventral is armed. 
   
NASA 1: 003, ease off on your turn slightly. 
   
Russel: Topoff is complete, it's running off. 
   
White: OK, topoff complete. 
   
B-52: 4 minutes and verify please. 
   
White: 4 minutes and pressurize and prime is on. Tank pressures coming up and looking pretty good. #l and #2 APU source at 3000, 3 jettison switches to jettison, going to jettison tank handle. 
   
B-52: Your prime is good on both sides, Bob. 
   
White: .......... -35. 
   
B-52: Jettison's good, Bob, all 3. 
   
NASA 1: 003, ease your turn slightly. 
   
White: Joe, are you on radio? Can you read me, NASA l? 
   
NASA 1: Read you 5 square. Bob, check your angle of attack indicator. 
   
White: OK, completing 12 degrees. 
   
B-52: 3 minutes. 
   
NASA 1: 003, your course is looking good at the present time. 
   
White: .......... 
   
NASA 1: 671, like to advise you have attitude only. 
   
White: Understand attitude only. 
   
B-52: 2 minutes and verify. 
   
White: 2 minutes. Inertial altitude 45,000, velocity 27, going to push test on the ball nose. 
   
Russel: Doppler velocity is 670. 
   
White: Lox pump bearing -5°. Data is on. 
   
NASA 1: Push to test on your ball nose, Bob. 
   
White: Looks good. 
   
B-52: 1 minute. Master arming on, light checks .......... 
   
White: OK ....when you're ready. 
   
B-52: 50 seconds now. 
   
Russel: OK, prime complete. 
   
White: APU bearing temperatures are 100 on #1 and 85 on #2. Tank pressures on Lox are 46 and ammonia is 42. Ammonia is sagging slightly, now .......... going to pump idle now. 
   
B-52: .......... off. 
   
White: Preheat and manifold pressures are up and they are steady. Going to igniter idle on now. Igniter ready light is on, pressures still good, coming up on the launch, 3-2-1 drop........... 
   
NASA 1: Reset. Start again, Bob. 
   
White: I don't have igniter ready light - there it is. 
   
NASA 1: Reset and prime. 
   
B-52: I think you got it this time............. 
   
White: OK, that's quite a push. 
   
NASA 1: .......... coming up 25 seconds, 30 seconds now. Course is good, Bob. 50,000 feet now. 37 seconds now. Going to 60,000 feet now. Your course is good. You'll be coming slightly low on your trajectory. 
   
White: .......... time? 
   
NASA 1: Coming up on 60 seconds now. Number is good 65, 66, 67, engine .......... 
   
NASA 1: OK, Bob, 2500 feet a second, climbing. 
   
White: Pitch pulse. 
   
NASA 1: 85.000. Course is looking very good, Bob. We have you just right of course, looking good. Up on 90,000. How do you read NASA 1, Bob? 
   
White: Good. How do you read? 
   
NASA 1: 5 square. Just to the right of course, Bob, 95,000. 
   
White: Speed brakes are coming open. 
   
NASA 1: Are you reset this time, Bob? 
   
B-52: Reset, pitch damper, Bob.
   
NASA 1: Go to engine reset and prime, Bob. 
   
White: Roger. 
   
NASA 1: We have you over Silver Lake at 105,000, looking good. 
   
White: 45,000 in cabin now and suit is inflating. Course is still good? 
   
NASA 1: Level back down through 100,000. Approaching Inyokern - 95,000. 
   
White: .......... 46 in the cabin now. .......... you recommend the brakes then? 
   
NASA 1: Brakes then, Bob. You can start your left turn. 75,000. Left turn, Bob. 70,000, bring it around to the left. 
   
White: .......... angle of attack. 
   
NASA 1: Course is looking good. Coming up on 62,000. Continue your turn, like to confirm dive brakes are in. 
   
White: Dive brakes are in. .......... good position? 
   
NASA 1: You're looking good down here. 
   
White: Just going to slow down here. 
   
NASA 1: Verify igniter ready light, Bob. 
   
White: No igniter ready light. 
   
NASA 1: You can straighten out your turn. 
   
White: Yes, I have an igniter ready light - when I turn - when I hit prime first time, I didn't hold it long enough, I just did and the light came on. 
   
NASA 1: OK, we have you at 56,000. Course is looking very good. 
   
Chase 4: NASA 1, what's his position? 
   
NASA 1: We have him about 7 miles northeast of Mojave. 
   
White: OK, I'm going to go to jettison here in just about 3 seconds. I'm coming back to about 1. Going jettison now. .......... from the cockpit, I'm jettisoning. 
   
NASA 1: We have you 10 miles due west of the field now. 50,000. You're looking very good. 
   
NASA 9: Bob, our winds are holding about 20, we have occasional gusts to 25. Right now are 23.
   
NASA 1: Bob, you can give your pulses, anytime convenient. Did you read the winds, Bob? Stop jettisoning on the peroxide, save your control gas . 
   
White: Rog. Almost missed that over-heat. I understand the winds from Control . 
   
NASA 1: All right. BCS switches off. 
   
White: BCS switches are off. Supposed to be over the runway here, make my turn right here, .......... coming down .......... 
   
NASA 1: We have you over the station at 33,000, Bob. Just for check. 
   
White: .......... passing through 30 now. 
   
B-52: I have you 30 also. 
   
White: OK, you ready for me to turn to master and precool, and prime off now? 
   
NASA 1: Affirmative. 
   
White: I'll get back on center stick here, my arm was tired anyway. I'm going to give you a hard time here, want to get rid of excess altitude. 
   
NASA 9: Winds are 15-20, occasional gusts to 25 .......... 
   
White: Remember that wind is pretty strong isn't it? OK, I've checked my ventral, it's still armed. I'm back in the pressure position, I'm now turning final and I'll get ready to ventral at the appropriate time. 
   
NASA 1: Calibrate, Bob? 
   
White: Calibrate. Ventral is coming off now. 
   
Chase: It's off. 
   
White: Flaps coming down. 
   
Chase: Flaps, gear, tail, nose is coming, nose good, OK. 
   
NASA 1: We have your touchdown, Bob, very nice flight. 
   
White: OK, flaps coming up, speed brakes are open. I will cycle the controls for you. .......... No hydrogen peroxide low light. Chamber temperatures are -40 and -30. .......... source pressure got about 350 .......... 2050 .......... Cabin source is 2000. .......... X-15 oxygen pressure is 1200. OK, beacon off. Stable platform going off. APU switches going off. I'm closing the speed brakes here and I'm going to shut APU switches off.