X-Plane Program
Since 1946, NACA (NASA's predecessor), and since 1958, NASA have conducted the X-Plane Program. The program was originally intended to create a family of experimental aircraft not set for production beyond the limited number of each design built solely for flight research. The first X-Plane, the Bell X-1 was the first rocket-powered airplane to break the sound barrier on October 14, 1947. X-Planes have set numerous milestones since then, both manned and unmanned.
Read more about this topic: List Of NASA Missions
Famous quotes containing the word program:
“The only thing that was dispensed free to the old New Bedford whalemen was a Bible. A well-known owner of one of that city’s whaling fleets once described the Bible as the best cheap investment a shipowner could make.”
—For the State of Massachusetts, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)