X-Planes from the X-1 to the X-60 An Illustrated History

<p><i>Foreword by Dr. Roger D. Launius, Former NASA Chief Historian </i><br></p><p>For the past 75 years, the U.S. government has invested significant time and money into advanced aerospace research, as evidenced by its many experimental X-plane aircraft and rockets. <i>NASA's X-Planes</i> asks a simple question: What have we gained from it all?</p> To answer this question, the authors provide a comprehensive overview of the X-plane’s long history, from the 1946 X-1 to the modern X-60. The chapters describe not just the technological evolution of these models, but also the wider story of politics, federal budgets, and inter-agency rivalries surrounding them. The book is organized into two sections, with the first covering the operational X-planes that symbolized the Cold War struggle between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R, and the second section surveying post-Cold War aircraft and spacecraft.<br><p></p> <p>Featuring dozens of original illustrations of X-plane cross-sections,in-flight profiles, close-ups, and more, this book will educate general readers and specialists alike.</p><p></p>