The Project X-15 add-on for Orbiter will help you with your quest for speed and altitude. A nifty little 19-page PDF file is included with the installation and it will outline (briefly) some of the history of the real X-15 project and give you some tips on flying the X-15 within the bounds of Orbiter. It is a fantastic package and will prove to be an interesting diversion for many hours in front of the computer; many thanks to Greg Burch and Scott Conklin for taking on this project.
We are indeed fortunate that Milton Thompson decided to write his insider account of the X-15 program. Mr. Thompson, a great American hero, passed away in August of 1993. Mr. Thompson retired from active flying in 1967 but continued working with NASA at Edwards AFB. In 1975 he became chief engineer of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, a position he held until his death.
“For many years I assumed that someone would write a book about the X-15 flight program. It was such an exciting, challenging, and productive endeavor that someone should have been anxious to document it. As the years passed by and no book appeared, I began to worry. I was concerned that the story might not be told. I was particularly concerned that the story might not have a personal touch, that memories would fade, or that the participants would die off. The story required a participant’s perspective, in my opinion, to describe the excitement and vibrancy of the program.” – page 279
Link to Orbiter:
http://orbit.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/
Link to Project X-15:
http://orbiter.dansteph.com/?news=133
Reviewer’s System Specs
- Alienware Pentium 4, 3.4GHz
- 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM
- NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT PCI Express 256MB
- Saitek X52
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