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[b]Space Cover #118: Test Pilot Mike Adams' flown X-15 cover[/b] In 1962, pilot Mike Adams had won the Experimental Test Pilot School's Honts Trophy as the best scholar and test pilot in his class at Edwards Air Force Base, California. He subsequently was selected for the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School, again graduating with top honors in December 1963. Adams was one of only four Edwards Air Force Base aerospace research pilots to train in the five-month series of NASA Moon landing practice sessions conducted at the Martin Company, Baltimore, Maryland. On October 6, 1966, Mike Adams made his first flight as an X-15 test pilot, the culmination of many years of specialized training in hypersonic aircraft. During his third test flight cited by this cover, Adams rocketed to Mach 5.95, 3,822 mph, and was well on his way to being one of the"best of the best" X-15 test pilots. On this test flight, though, his inertial system dropped-out after peak altitude of 133,100 feet was reached, and he lost cabin pressurization after the flight's high altitude had been reached. In the course of the test flight, he also had successfully tested research aircraft electrical loads, checked-out the aircraft's third landing skid, tested the pressure altitude indicator, X-15 sonic boom impact, and ablatives on the two X-15 stabilators. Four test flights later on November 15, 1967, Mike Adams tragically would achieve another distinction. He would posthumously be awarded his astronaut wings after flying X-15-3 to an altitude of 266,000 feet, 50.3 miles altitude, a major achievement for the small cadre of X-15 test pilots. As he piloted his X-15 from this 50 miles high edge of space altitude, his aircraft began a rapid pitching motion of increasing severity. Diving at 160,000 feet per minute, dynamic pressures increased rapidly. Crossing 65,000 feet, he was diving at Mach 3.9 and subject to 15 g's vertically both positive and negative, and 8 g's laterally. Despite his efforts to regain control of his aircraft, the X-15 rocket plane disintegrated northeast of Johannesburg, California, only ten minutes and thirty-five seconds after launch of the test. Main wreckage of X-15-3 was discovered northwest of Cuddeback Dry Lake, California. Mike Adams had been killed and his aircraft, X-15-3, had been destroyed. The accident investigation of Adams' death would make important improvements for further hypersonic test flights including reference to a telemetered heading indicator in the X-15 flight control room, and adding a ground based 8-ball attitude indicator in the control room so mission control personnel could see real time aircraft pitch, roll, heading, angle of attack, and sideslip data. Mike Adams most assuredly would have been one of the "best of the best" X-15 test pilots if he could have survived this tragic accident. He may very well have been in the same league as another very capable and successful X-15 test pilot, Neil Armstrong. But, fate capriciously intervened. It was not to be.
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