X15 Diary, Richard Tregaskis
X15 Diary, Richard Tregaskis
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X-15 Diary
The Story of America's First Spaceship

Author: Richard Tregaskis

Narrator: Chris Sorensen

Unabridged: 14 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/08/2016

Synopsis

Built of titanium and a chrome-nickel alloy known as Inconel X, the X-15 was the fastest plane ever built, streaking through the lower reaches of outer space even before the first space capsules reached orbit. First tested in 1959, the X-15 proved to be a crucial testing ground for the astronauts and hardware in the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and even the Space Shuttle programs. Celebrated reporter Richard Tregaskis spent time with the pilots, engineers, and other key personnel involved in the project. We learn of the years of planning and design, devastating onboard explosions, exhilarating triumphs, and, above all, the personal and professional sacrifices that paved the way for the enduring legacy of the blisteringly fast X-15 rocket plane.

About Richard Tregaskis

Richard Tregaskis (1916-1973) was an American journalist and author. Tregaskis served as a war correspondent during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. He received the Overseas Press Club's George Polk Award in 1964 for first-person reporting under hazardous circumstances.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Clare on December 01, 2016

During the 1950s space travel, still borderline fiction, was a source of propaganda and competition between the USSR and USA. Sputnik was up and the challenge now was to get a man out of the atmosphere, however briefly; a step on the way to manned space flight. The X-15, from its photographs clearly......more

Goodreads review by Guillermo on March 18, 2023

Good contemporary account that captures the zeitgeist of the early Space Age. Good addition to a Space Race library and better than Crossfield's memoir.......more

Goodreads review by Brian on August 05, 2018

This work follows people and their effort toward the first record setting flights of the X-15. The book was written immediately following these events, and so it is set in its time but not dated. The author's commentary on the potential futures is perhaps the most interesting aspect of the work. Hea......more

Goodreads review by John on September 24, 2020

5 STARS - if not for the terrible narration. This is a diary, so the writing has a somewhat repetitive nature, but it's not ugly. Tragaskis comes across almost as a reporter at times and it's almost annoying, but it really gives a feel for the moments when questions where asked and reactions of pilots......more

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