The jet with wings that melt mid-flight. The X15 rocket plane flown in the 1960s by NASA and the US Air Force was the first crewed aircraft to reach space, flying at mock 67 and over 100 kilometers altitude. But the insane part? Its wing surfaces would glow red hot and start melting mid-flight due to the intense friction. The engineers used Inconel X, a nickel-based super alloy, but even that couldn't stop heat erosion. After each flight, the wings had to be rebuilt or resurfaced. It paved the w

Riding the Rocket: The Story of the Legendary X-15 FULL DOCUMENTARY: https://youtu.be/-RlhyykS1Fg The North American X-15 rocket plane was a hypersonic aircraft that flew to the edge of space at Mach 6.7. A documentary featuring beautifully restored footage from the Cold War era. #X15 #RocketPlane #EdwardsAFB #ColdWar #SpaceRace #AviationHistory #Documentary | Aviation And History