Engineers determined that the stability problem of the earlier X-planes was due to the
fact that their thin horizontal and vertical stabilizers lost effectiveness at high speed. The
traditional solution to counter this and enhance stability would be to increase the X-15's
tail size. One proposal even suggested making the tail as large as the wing. But
calculations by Langley Research Center aerodynamicist Charles McLellan, along with
subsequent wind tunnel testing, revealed an alternative solution. A wedge-shaped tail,
narrow at the front and wide at the back, kept the air streams apart longer during
hypersonic flight, creating the needed stability. Panels that could extend out from the
side of the tail provided additional stability, and also acted as speed brakes. This wedge
tail design—conceived for the X-15—became the accepted standard for hypersonic
flight. However, even though the unique tail design provided the ultimate stability during
hypersonic flight, modern spacecraft—including the space shuttle—don’t use it, as they
rely on computer control to achieve stability.
The initial North American proposal called for a wedge-shaped stabilizer that reflected
McLellan’s findings. The final X-15 tail featured a blunt trailing edge rather than the split
trailing edge proposed by North American. But while that design element wasn’t used on
the X-15, it was ultimately incorporated into the tail design for the space shuttle. The
orbiter has a wedge-shaped vertical stabilizer that controls yaw and a split rudder that
acts as a speed brake during reentry. However, the shuttle never flew with its speed
brake in the open position, forming the wedge, because its reentry position and
computer-controlled stability rendered the tail shape irrelevant.
7
Pressure suits
The aggressive velocity and altitude objectives of the X-15 program meant that the pilots
would fly higher and faster than ever before. The pressure they would encounter during
atmosphere climb-out and reentry would be extreme. Although the cockpit was
pressurized, they required a back-up system should the cabin lose pressure. This drove
the need for the first full pressure suit. Walter C. Williams, chairman of the X-15 Flight
Test Steering Committee (later the Joint Operating Committee), said, “It was felt
important to develop a full pressure suit.…This suit became the foundation on which suit
technology was built for use in the space programs.”
8
The David Clark Company developed the suits used in the X-15. Their first creation was
the MC-2. It was cumbersome and limited both movement and peripheral vision. Thirty-
six flights were conducted in the MC-2, though the pilots disliked it.
Meanwhile, the David Clark Company was working on a technological breakthrough: the
A/P22S-2. This suit was crafted from Link Net, a more lightweight, bendable nylon fabric
that nonetheless was equipped with an integral g suit. It was much easier to handle than
the MC-2. Because the cockpit was filled with nitrogen to protect pilots from the extreme
heat during flight, oxygen was provided through the faceplate of the A/P22S-2. Instead
of using a neck seal, the A/P22S-2 featured a face seal that was both more comfortable
and more durable. Durability was critical as that seal was the only thing keeping the
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
nitrogen in the body of the sui
the new suit was a huge
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
advanc
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t from entering the oxygenated face mask. To the pilots,
e. Easier to wear and see out of, it also included a
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8
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!Thanks to Dennis Jenkins for clarifying this point.
X-15 First Flight 30th Anniversary, “X-15 Concept
<http://history.nasa.gov/x15conf/concept.html>
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Evolution” p 1. Accessed 25 September 2012 at:
6!