DOC Hypersonic: The Story of the North American X-15 (Revised Edition) (Specialty Press) by Dennis Jenkins in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Recommended reading for those interested in America's early ventures into spaceBy Homers OdysseyI was just starting grade school when the X-15 was making its final flights; and the books that came out soon after didn't even cover a fraction of the information that Mr. Jenkins compiles in this fantastic read. The spirit of his writing does capture the spirit of the nation at that time; when Americans felt they could do anything.Actually; one book did admirably cover the engineering points and human character of the X-15 program; and that was "90 Seconds to Space - the Story of the X-15" by Jules Bergman. It was printed many; many years ago (first printing in 1960); and in the following years I couldn't find any other books that met that standard of engineering and journalistic coverage. Jules Bergman was ABC's science editor for 25 years; and as a kid growing up during the Gemini and Apollo programs; I couldn't wait to hear his thorough and honest reporting on the subject. He helped make our space program one of the best liked federal programs in the world; and that's saying a lot."Hypersonic" by Dennis Jenkins picks up all of the remaining and vital pieces of X-15 program information; and the author crafts it all together into one fine read. He does a splendid job of explaining the strong-willed characters who had the genius and determination to even suggest such a program; the engineering challenges the entire team of engineers; pilots and support personnel faced; and their almost unbelievably continuous series of successes and triumphs.Yes; this is recommended reading!2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. In-depth history of the X-15By Flying PhotographerThis must be one of the most in-depth books I have ever read about any airplane. Very well researched and documented; you will find a lot of information about almost every imaginable aspect of the aircraft. The numerous pictures (with their respective captions) are very descriptive and illustrative; in particular the excellent color ones.Well; if this is all so great; why did I rate it 'only' 4-stars? Most readers who take the time to write a review either do it because they really liked that particular book (in which case 5-star ratings are the norm); or they found something particular they disliked (in which case 3-star or less ratings are the norm). Personally; 5-stars should be reserved to books in which I can only find very little or nothing to crtitize; which unfortunately is not the case with Hypersonic.First comes the format: This book should have been printed in a different format (page size). As it is; there is so much information 'cramped' into one page; that it becomes almost a pain to really read through all of it. Additionally; the font size is so small (in order to pack the pages full); that you better have good eyesight and lots of light - not an ideal read before sleeping! The number of pages in this book does not reflect the content; it should be rather 500+ pages with 'normal' content per page.Then; I found it very anoying for such an otherwise so well done book to find that many typing and editing errors; this is really not a good editing job.Finally; I think the book deserved more 'cockpit' piloting stories that tell you what it felt to be mounted on top of such a powerfull rocket engine and for a few minutes be an astronaut; maybe even some more amusing annecdotes that must have happened throughout the 10+ years of flying. Even such an interesting subject as the X-15 can become a rather dry and technical read; and unfortunately this does happen in this book.Overall; this is an authoritative history of the X-15 program; focused on the enginerring and technical challenges that needed to be overcomed before putiing a man on a rocket plane and fly at Mach 6.7 and 350.000 feet - recommended.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. As good as it getsBy Old DogShort of doing your own primary research; I don't see how you could find more complete information on the X-15 project than this book. The bonus is; the book is well written; clearly organized in a logical fashion; and has all the indicators of a labor of love on the part of the authors.I find myself constantly re-reading sections; the audacity (and talent!) of the people involved is breathtaking; the authors capture that. If; for example; you're fascinated with the development of the SR-71; and reading about the ingenuity exhibited by those folks in problem solving; this is a book for you.Never reckless; but never timid; these folks pushed through challenges that would scare the current NASA mob witless. In a weird way; the Soviet challenge may have set back manned space flight decades; we junked far more promising projects to win a race we were never going to loose anyway - the logical follow-ons to the X-15 were ignored in favor of quick-fix solutions. But no whining here! The X-15 stands on it's own merits as a thunderous success. Read this book!