The Insane Engineering of the X-15

Sign up to Nebula here: https://go.nebula.tv/realengineering Watch this video on Nebula: https://watchnebula.com/videos/real-engineering-the-insane-engineering-of-the-x15 Links to everything I do: https://beacons.ai/brianmcmanus Get your Real Engineering shirts at: https://standard.tv/collections/real-engineering Thank you to Charlie Garcia for his invaluable advice and expertise during the scripting process of this video: https://twitter.com/Astro_Chuck 3D Model provided by Clément Moreau: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/north-american-x-15-plane-bf491206ba844282949734b48b938c53 Credits: Writer/Narrator: Brian McManus Editor: Dylan Hennessy Animator: Mike Ridolfi (https://www.moboxgraphics.com/) Sound: Graham Haerther (https://haerther.net/) Thumbnail: Simon Buckmaster https://twitter.com/forgottentowel Fact Checker: Charlie Garcia The research for this video took about 4 weeks with the help of the reports, books, research papers, and nasa communications below. Charlie Garcia also kindly lent his expertise in rocket propulsion as a fact checker and advisor for the project. We normally show numbers on screen, but numbers got mixed up during the convoluted writing process and it’s now 12 pm the night before upload and I just can’t bring myself to link them all appropriately, but rest assured that all information in the video comes from one of the fantastic resources linked below. References [1] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/news/FactSheets/FS-052-DFRC.html [2] https://www.amazon.com/North-American-Owners-Workshop-Manual/dp/085733767X [3] https://hackaday.com/2019/02/13/the-impossible-tech-behind-spacexs-new-engine/ [4] https://amzn.to/31AG1y0 [5] http://www.braeunig.us/space/comb-OH.htm [6] http://www.braeunig.us/space/propel.htm#:~:text=The%20petroleum%20used%20as%20rocket,liquid%20oxygen%20as%20the%20oxidizer. [7] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/specific-impulse [8] Page 247 https://amzn.to/31AG1y0 [9] https://amzn.to/3we33sN [10] https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marco-Pizzarelli/publication/321314974_Regenerative_cooling_of_liquid_rocket_engine_thrust_chambers/links/5e5ecd824585152ce804e244/Regenerative-cooling-of-liquid-rocket-engine-thrust-chambers.pdf [11] https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4230.pdf [12] https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/specific-heat-fluids-d_151.html [13] https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc63762/m2/1/high_res_d/19930089889.pdf [14] https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/470842main_X_15_Frontier_of_Flight.pdf [15] Page 23 https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/470842main_X_15_Frontier_of_Flight.pdf [16] Page 440 https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/470842main_X_15_Frontier_of_Flight.pdf [17] Page 16 https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/279830.pdf [18] page 74 https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/470842main_X_15_Frontier_of_Flight.pdf [19] https://history.nasa.gov/x15lect/structur.html [20] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344702322_Shock-induced_heating_and_transition_to_turbulence_in_a_hypersonic_boundary_layer [21] Haynes 117 [22] Page 440 https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/470842main_X_15_Frontier_of_Flight.pdf [23] Page 444 [24] https://appel.nasa.gov/2014/10/16/this-month-in-nasa-history-the-x-15-program-set-a-record-for-speed/#:~:text=Asked%20Questions%20(FAQ s)-,This%20Month%20in%20NASA%20History%3A%20The%20X%2D15%20Program,Set%20a%20Record%20for%20Speed&text=The%20X%2D15A%2D2%20in,and%20additional%20external%20fuel%20tanks.&text=On%20October%203%2C%201967%2C%20U.S.,aircraft%20landed%20charred%20and%20broken. Thank you to AP Archive for access to their archival footage. Music by Epidemic Sound: http://epidemicsound.com/creator Thank you to my patreon supporters: Adam Flohr, Henning Basma, Hank Green, William Leu, Tristan Edwards, Ian Dundore, John & Becki Johnston. Nevin Spoljaric, Jason Clark, Thomas Barth, Johnny MacDonald, Stephen Foland, Alfred Holzheu, Abdulrahman Abdulaziz Binghaith, Brent Higgins, Dexter Appleberry, Alex Pavek, Marko Hirsch, Mikkel Johansen, Hibiyi Mori. Viktor Józsa, Ron Hochsprung