Dennis R. Jenkins, "Hypersonics Before the Space Shuttle: A Concise History of the X-15 Research Airplane"

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Dennis R. Jenkins, "Hypersonics Before the Space Shuttle: A Concise History of the X-15 Research Airplane"

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It is a beginning. Over forty-five years have elapsed since the X-15 was conceived; 40 since it first flew. And 31 since the program ended. Although it is usually heralded as the most productive flight research program ever undertaken, no serious history has been assembled to capture its design, development, operations, and lessons. This book is the first step towards that history. Not that a great deal not previously been written about the X-15, because it has. But most of it has been limited to specific aspects of the program; pilot's stories, experiments. lessons-learned, etc. But with the exception of Robert S. Houston's history published by the Wright Air Development Center in 1958, and later included in the Air Force History Office's Hypersonic Revolution, no one has attempted to tell the entire story. And the WADC history is taken entirely from the Air Force perspective, with small mention of the other contributors.
The X-15 would ultimately exceed all of its original performance goals. Instead of Mach 6 and 250,000 feet, the program would record Mach 6.7 and 354,200 feet. And compared against other research (and even operational) aircraft of the era, the X-15 was remarkably safe.

About the Author
Dennis R. Jenkins was an engineer and project manager on the space shuttle program for 33 years. Arriving just prior to STS-1, he worked in engineering and operations at the Kennedy Space Center and Vandenberg Launch Site. Jenkins was an investigator on the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, senior technical staff to the Return-to-Flight Task Group, and the project manager that planned the delivery of the remaining orbiters to their various display sites at the end of the flight campaign. He sat as the Verville Fellow at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and is currently the project director for the Endeavourdisplay, as well as facility construction manager at the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center in Los Angeles. He splits his time between Los Angeles, California, and Cape Canaveral, Florida.