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This is what evolved into the X-37B we have today, isn't it? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-37 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-37 I'd never hea
by AustinDev 4y ago
This is what evolved into the X-37B we have today, isn't it?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-37 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-37
I'd never heard of the X-15B before your post, very interesting. It's crazy that it was manned back then.
- parsimo2010 4y agoNot really. The X-15 is/was a hypersonic research platform, intended to research flight in the (upper) atmosphere. The X-15B, as stated by the OP, was a manned spaceflight program. The X-37 is basically a reusable (unmanned) satellite. They are very different programs. There are perhaps some engineers that worked on both programs because North American eventually became owned by Boeing, but the programs share no design heritage that I can tell.
- mhio 4y agoI think the reentry vehicles are a slightly different branch of development to the X-15. The precursor programs highlight the evolution of the basic idea of "we need something dropped from orbit to survive" on to Shuttle/Buran: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASSET_(spacecraft) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASSET_(spacecraft) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-20_Dyna-Soar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-20_Dyna-Soar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_X-23_PRIME https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_X-23_PRIME https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Marietta_X-24 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Marietta_X-24 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-40 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-40 Soviet equivalents: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-105 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-105 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BOR-4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BOR-4 > It's crazy that it was manned back then. The Shuttle was being flown 11 years ago!