The Rocket Plane That Flew to Space at Mach 6

Did you know there is a plane so fast and flies so high that its pilots are officially classified as astronauts? 🚀👨‍🚀

The X-15 rocket plane is a masterclass in extreme aerospace engineering. Capable of hitting Mach 6.7 (4,520 mph), it flew so fast that its metal skin glowed cherry red from atmospheric friction. To survive this brutal heat, it was armored in a superalloy known as Inconel X.

But speed wasn't its only record. The X-15 flew over 350,000 feet high, completely leaving the Earth's atmosphere and touching the absolute edge of space. The military pilots who flew this magnificent black dart earned their astronaut wings without ever stepping foot inside a traditional space capsule.

✈️ TheAeroGraphyOfficial