| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Built of titanium and a chrome-nickel alloy known as Inconel X, the X-15 was the fastest plane ever built, streaking through the lower reaches of outer space even before the first space capsules reached orbit. First tested in 1959, the X-15 proved to be a crucial testing ground for the astronauts and hardware in the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and even the Space Shuttle programs. The dramatic tale of the golden age of this experimental plane comes vividly to life through the writing of celebrated reporter Richard Tregaskis, who spent time with the pilots, engineers, and other key personnel involved in the project.We learn of the years of planning and design, devastating onboard explosions, exhilarating triumphs, and, above all, the personal and professional sacrifices that paved the way for the enduring legacy of the blisteringly fast X-15 rocket plane. Richard Tregaskis (1916-73) was a noted correspondent and writer who reported on several wars, including the Second World War and the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. His books include "Guadalcanal Diary" and "Invasion Diary" which is available in a Bison Books edition. Scott Crossfield is a legendary test pilot who flew the first X-15 flights and was the first man to fly at twice the speed of sound. Crossfield was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame and National Aviation Hall of Fame and is the author of "Always Another Dawn: The Story of a Rocket Test Pilot".
About the Author
Richard Tregaskis (1916-73) was a noted correspondent and writer who reported on several wars, including the Second World War and the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. His books include Guadalcanal Diary and Invasion Diary which is available in a Bison Books edition. Scott Crossfield is a legendary test pilot who flew the first X-15 flights and was the first man to fly at twice the speed of sound. Crossfield was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame and National Aviation Hall of Fame and is the author of Always Another Dawn: The Story of a Rocket Test Pilot.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The energy and excitement of the first flights,
By
This review is from: X-15 Diary: The Story of America's First Space Ship (Paperback)
Covering the very early part of the flight program, Richard Tregaskis book tries to capture the energy and excitement of the time - I feel he succeeds. The book is chronologically structured in a diary format which builds then tension up towards the first flights and records. Along with the successes and the many aborts, he captures the emotions of the pilots and (often forgotten) engineers. It is written from personal experiances and interviews with the pilots, engineers and their families. This gives a very rounded view of their characters but doesn't give the hands on feel of Milton Thompson's "At the edge of space". If you don't know what the X-15 is, don't buy this book. However if you do know, it is well worth the read.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good read,
By
This review is from: X-15 Diary: The Story of America's First Space Ship (Paperback)
Frankly speaking it's a bit early to say something about the book, because I have read only half of it, but so far it looks more than promissing. It is highly informative and one might easily feel like he or she is actually taking part in the events that are described in the book. However the book is not written by the usual tandem between a pilot and a journalist like the stories of Chuck Yeager, Bud Anderson or Gabby Gabreski, but by a journalist. Hence at some point there are pretty interesting deviations from the main story.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews) 8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
X-15 Diary not bad, but not complete,
By Andy Wilson "Andy Wilson" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: X-15 Diary: The Story of America's First Space Ship (Paperback)
A correction to a previous review: this appears to be a simple reprint of the 1961 title, and does not cover flights after 1961. The last flight described is Bob White's to 130,000+ ft. None of the truly astounding flights with the XLR-99 engine are covered. I guess you have to go to Milton Thompson's book for that.
Still a good read though. It's interesting to compare the X-15 to SpaceShipOne. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent first-hand diary,
By Luiz De Oliveira "Luizparis" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: X-15 Diary: The Story of America's First Space Ship (Paperback)
This book was written in the 60's, before Apollo went to the Moon and back so it gives the reader a first-hand insight into the maturity of space technologies at that time. With hindsight it is easy to forget that those guys were pushing the envelope in every single subject and no one really knew how things would fall in place. The author experienced the ups and downs with the main players and gives us a insight report on what really happened. He manages to strike a good balance between technical details and the human as well as the "mundane" side of the X-15 program (e.g. when he is waiting for a ride on an Air Force plane to Edwards or when he describes details about the pilot's personalities). I think it gives an interesting perspective on one of the key milestones of aerospace engineering.
5.0 out of 5 stars
X-15 Diary,
By M. Robinson - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: X-15 Diary: The Story of America's First Space Ship (Paperback)
I ordered the book about the X-15 plane and it arrived in plenty of time for Christmas! I was very pleased with the service.
|
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Business, Finance & Law
- Books > History > Military History > Armed Forces > Air Forces
- Books > Reference > Transport > Aviation
- Books > Science & Nature > Engineering & Technology > Aeronautics & Aerospace > Aerospace & Aviation Technology
- Books > Science & Nature > Engineering & Technology > Aeronautics & Aerospace > Astronautics
- Books > Science & Nature > Engineering & Technology > Education > Higher Education
- Books > Science & Nature > Engineering & Technology > Military & Naval > Military Aircraft
- Books > Scientific, Technical & Medical > Engineering
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
