(sound of movie projector)
(music plays)
In 1955, Neil Armstrong became a
research pilot at NASA's Flight
Research Center in Edwards, CA.
Here, he flew almost all of the
century series of jet fighters.
The F-100...
the F-101...
the F-102...
the F-104...
and the F-105.
He also piloted the F5-D...
the Casey 135...
the B-47...
and his first flight was in the P-51.
During this time, he served as
a launch pilot on the extensively
modified B-29 that was used to
air launch the X-1E.
He also flew the X-5, the first aircraft
capable of sweeping its wings in flight,
a technique in use on F-14 and B-1 today.
While at the Flight Research Center, Neil made
several flights in the X-1B, a rocket powered
airplane that eventually reached speeds of
up to 1600 mph. And in 1958, he was named
as one of the original seven pilots for the
X-15 program, which was later acclaimed as
the most successful rocket powered
research aircraft.
Specializing in stability and control, Neil
worked closely with engineers in developing
an adaptive flight control system that would
eventually allow the X-15 to fly to near
orbital altitudes.
He piloted the first four flights on this
system in the number three X-15, and later
received the AIAA's prestigious
Octave Chanute Award for this effort.
Although originally developed in the 1950s
to increase man's knowledge of hypersonic
aeronautics, manned space flight was the
immediate beneficiary of the X-15
research program.
The program dramatically demonstrated the
capability of the human pilot for employing
a fantastic variety of acquired skills,
sensing, judging and coping with the unexpected.
The X-15 was air launched from as fas as
300 miles from its destination. The rocket
engine would only burn for 90 seconds until
its fuel was exhausted and the aircraft would
continue to climb balistically to altitudes
in excess of 300,000 feet and speeds of over
six times the speed of sound.
Yet, barring any unforeseen mechanical problems,
the pilots were almost always able to maneuver
their hypersonic glider to a landing within
1000 ft of their intended mark.
(music plays)
In the early 1960s, Neil became involved with
the development and testing of a new concept
that was being considered for use as a possible method
of recovering both manned and unmanned spacecraft.
Although the concept showed promise, subsequent
testing revealed operational problems that made
the paraglider more suitable to hang gliders
than spacecraft recovery.
It was during this same time that Neil,
flying a prototype jet fighter, developed a
technique for the abort rescue of a new manned
spacecraft under consideration.
It was called the X-20 Dyna-Soar and it was
built for the US Air Force.
It would have been launched into
space using a Titan III booster.
Once in space, the X-20 would orbit
the Earth using a principle called dynamic soaring.
Originally developed by the Germans during
World War II, once the speed decreased,
the spacecraft would re-enter the Earth's
atmosphere and land like a simple glider.
In all, Neil logged 2,600 flight hours in over
900 flights at Edwards. And all before becoming
the most famous astronaut of all time.
This was one of the most exciting of places
in the world at that time. The flight test
world was filled with excitement. Dozens and
dozens of new concepts and configurations and
tests - something new to talk about every day.
And I believe that, whenever I have the privilege
of visiting here again, in years ahead,
and ask someone, "What's new?"
There'll always be something.
(applause)
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