Re: X-15 Alternate Landing Facility


Message posted by Peter Merlin on July 03, 2004 at 20:02:20 PST:

The High-Altitude Continuos Tracking Range (commonly called the High Range) was originally designed for the X-15 program. It included radar tracking sites and microwave relay units (MRUs)along a corridor from Wendover, Utah, to Edwards, California. Major radar sites were located near Beatty and Ely, Nevada, and Edwards. MRU-4 was located on top of Bald Mountain in the Groom Range. Construction of the High Range was sponsored by the Air Force Flight Test Center and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (later NASA).

Along the path of the High Range, a number of dry lakebeds were selected as contingency landing sites for the X-15. Some of them were also launch sites. The X-15 was released from the B-52 above a lakbed in case the engine failed to ignite.

Groom Lake was considered for use as a launch site, but security restrictions precluded that. It was, however, authorized as a contingency landing site for launches from Delamar Lake.


In Reply to: X-15 Alternate Landing Facility posted by Thud on July 02, 2004 at 15:15:31 PST:

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