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- From: baalke@kelvin.Jpl.Nasa.Gov (Ron Baalke)
- Subject: Crossfield Awarded NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal
- Message-ID: <28JAN199301182862@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov>
- To: sci-space-news@ames.arc.nasa.gov
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- Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 01:18:00 GMT
- Approved: sci-space-news@ames.arc.nasa.gov
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-
- Headquarters, Washington, D.C. January 27, 1993
- (Phone: 202/453-8613)
-
- RELEASE: 93-16
-
- CROSSFIELD AWARDED NASA DISTINGUISHED PUBLIC SERVICE MEDAL
-
- NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin awarded famed test pilot A. Scott
- Crossfield the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal for his contributions to
- aeronautics and aviation during a 50 year career. The award was presented in a
- Capitol Hill ceremony honoring Crossfield's retirement from federal service
- yesterday.
-
- Crossfield played a pivotal role in NASA's highly successful X-15
- research aircraft program in the late 50s and early 60s. He also flew most
- of the early experimental X-series research planes for NASA's predecessor,
- the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA).
-
- More recently, he has been a key advocate of the National Aero-Space
- Plane (NASP) program as technical consultant to the U.S. House of
- Representatives Committee on Science and Technology.
-
- "Scott's pioneering efforts with the X-series of airplanes and his
- contributions to the X-15 program were vital to the historic flight research
- accomplishments by NASA and the NACA," Goldin said. "He has continued to
- apply his skills and talents to aeronautics with his visionary advice and
- counsel on the NASP program and the potential it offers to the nation."
-
- Crossfield joined NACA as a research pilot in 1950. During his 5-year
- stint at the NACA High-Speed Flight Station, Edwards, Calif., he flew the X-1
- and D558-II rocket planes and many experimental jets. On Nov. 20, 1953,
- Crossfield became the first person to fly twice the speed of sound at the
- controls of the D558-II "Skyrocket".
-
- As chief engineering test pilot for North American Aviation, Inc.,
- Crossfield was the driving force behind development of the record-setting X-15
- rocket research aircraft that paved the way for NASA's Space Shuttle. He
- guided the X-15 on its first free flight in 1959 and later qualified the first
- X-15s for flight before they were turned over to NASA and the U.S. Air Force.
-
- "I have a lot of respect for Scott. He was an excellent test pilot,"
- said former X-15 pilot Milt Thompson, now Chief Engineer at NASA's Ames-Dryden
- Flight Research Facility, Edwards, Calif. "As pilot-consultant to the X-15, he
- contributed significantly to the safety and reliability of its design."
-
- Crossfield served as an executive for Eastern Airlines from 1967 to
- 1973, where he helped shape the company's technology applications, new aircraft
- specifications and flight research development. From 1974 to 1975, he was
- Senior Vice President with Hawker Siddley Aviation and established its U.S.
- subsidiary for design, support and marketing of the HS-146 transport in North
- America.
-
- From 1977 until his retirement, Crossfield was technical consultant to
- the House Committee on Science and Technology, where he advised committee
- members on all aspects of civil aviation. He has been a strong supporter of
- the NASP program to develop a flight research vehicle that will take off
- horizontally, fly into Earth orbit and return through the atmosphere to land
- on a runway.
-
- -end-
- ___ _____ ___
- /_ /| /____/ \ /_ /| Ron Baalke | baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov
- | | | | __ \ /| | | | Jet Propulsion Lab |
- ___| | | | |__) |/ | | |__ M/S 525-3684 Telos | Every once in a while,
- /___| | | | ___/ | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | try pushing your luck.
- |_____|/ |_|/ |_____|/ |
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