The X-15 has been celebrated

all images author's collection, unless otherwise noted

— X-15 Stamps —

U.S. Postal Service commemorated the X-15 with two holographic stamps. Issue date: 17 Mar. 2006.

A stamp from Republic of the Gambia in West Africa from 1987.

This stamp celebrates the 20th anniversary of Pete Knight's

fastest ever rocket plane flight on 3 Oct. 1967.

Republic of the Congo issued this stamp in 2014 as part of their "The Heroes of NASA" series. Pictured is Hugh Dryden with the X-15. Others in the series included Wernher von Braun, Alan Shepard, James Van Allen, Gene Kranz, and James Webb.

On this stamp are also shown the D-558-2, HL-10, SR-71, and the X-33.

Central African Republic art for a stamp honoring the "Bell X-15" [sic], issued in 1997.

X-15A-2 art from a Marshall Islands stamp from 2004.

— X-15 Postal Covers —

40th anniversary postal cover issued at Edwards AFB on 9 Oct. 1999.

This was a limited edition of only 1500 covers, and was autographed by Scott Crossfield, Pete Knight, Bill Dana, and Joe Engle.

First of four 50th anniversary of the first X-15 flight postal covers. Issued at Edwards AFB on 8 Jun. 2009.

Note the unique postmark which includes all 12 pilot's last names in a circle around the top view of the X-15.

Second of four 50th anniversary of the first X-15 flight postal covers.

Third of four 50th anniversary of the first X-15 flight postal covers.

Fourth of four 50th anniversary of the first X-15 flight postal covers.

Special version of no. 1 50th anniversary cover with X-15 photostamp.

This signed cover commemorates the third powered flight of the X-15, which suffered a fire and explosion in the engine compartment. This forced an emergency landing, which broke the back of the X-15 when it touched down on Rosamond Dry Lake.

Scott Crossfield signed this postal cover, which featured a Wright brothers stamp.

Postal cover celebrating the total time spent by Scott Crossfield on rocket plane flights such as the D-558-2 and the X-15.

This cover celebrates flight 3-21-32 by Joe Walker on 19 Jul. 1963. This flight in X-15 no. 3 topped out at 347,800 feet, and was exceeded just a month later when Walker flew to the highest altitude of the X-15 program at 354,200 feet, or 67.1 miles.

First Day of Issue cachet for the US Postal Service X-15 Priority Mail $4.05 stamp on 17 Mar. 2006.

See both stamps that were issued that day at the top of this page.

This cover is to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Scott Crossfield's first flight using the XLR-99 rocket engine on 15 Nov. 1960 (flight 2-10-21). However note that it has been used to gather the autograph of X-15 pilot Robert White.

Autographed postal cover with the signatures of X-15 pilot Robert White, along with B-52 pilot Jack Allavie and co-pilot Harry Archer. Postmarked in Amsterdam the flight being celebrated is from 17 Jul. 1962, which is a record altitude flight of 314,750 feet.

This cover came from the National Air and Space Museum on the 15th anniversary of the highest X-15 flight of 354,200 feet on 23 Aug. 1963 by Joe Walker. However, the autograph is from the X-15's only US Navy pilot, Forrest Petersen.

On 10 Jan. 1962 Forrest Petersen made the first X-15 emergency landing outside the local Edwards AFB area when he came down at Mud Lake, Nevada. Signed by Petersen, this was postmarked at Edwards on the day of flight 1-25-44.

Robert Rushworth accomplished the 100th flight of the X-15 program on 28 Jan. 1964. On this flight he flew to an altitude of 107,400 feet at a speed of Mach 5.34 (3,618 mph). It was Rushworth's 18th X-15 flight and aircraft no 1's 44th successful mission.

The X-15 created eight new American astronauts. On 27 Jun. 1963 Robert Rushworth became the third of those eight with his first and only flight above 50 miles. On flight 3-20-31 he flew to 285,000 feet altitude at a speed of Mach 4.89 (3,425 mph).

A rare commodity: An actual flown postal cover from an X-15 flight!

Flight 1-70-119 occurred on 22 Mar. 1967 with pilot Michael Adams. Mike flew to an altitude of 133,100 feet at 3,822 mph or Mach 5.59.

This was the third flight by Adams and was his highest Mach number achieved by him during the program.

The flight was initiated over Mud Lake, Nevada, and covered 222.2 miles back to a landing on Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards AFB.

On 19 Apr. 1967, Mike autographed the postal cover, which was then postmarked on 1 May 1967.

It was then mailed to Barbara Baker in Poughkeepsie, New York.

A second envelope commemorating Scott Crossfield's 20th anniversary of his first flight using the XLR-99 rocket engine, which was not signed by Crossfield. This one is signed by the 10th X-15 pilot, Pete Knight.

Michael Adams was the 12th and final X-15 pilot. He was also the only one on the program to lose his life in an X-15 accident. His aircraft entered a hypersonic spin during re-entry on 15 Nov. 1967, and broke apart beore crashing in the desert.

Very rare postal cover, signed by Joe Walker. This particular one commemorates Walker's flight on 12 Sep. 1961, which was Joe's first flight in the X-15 past Mach 5.

A second rare postal cover with Walker's autograph. On this 30 Apr. 1962 mission Walker set an FAI altitude record of 246,700 feet, which beat a previous Soviet record.

Mike Adams lost his life on 15 Nov. 1967 in the only fatal accident of the X-15 program. As his Eagle Scout project, John Bodylski, at the suggestion of Greg Frazier, created a monument to honor Adams at the site of the crash. The dedication occurred on 8 May 2004 with more than 100 people present, including pilot Bill Dana and members of Mike's family. This postal cover was cancelled on that date in Johannesburg, California, which is approximately 5 miles from the crash site, and the closest post office to the location where the forward section of the X-15 came to rest that fateful day.

David Ball created this special postal cover to commemorate the search for the remains of X-15 no. 3, which was involved in the fatal crash of Mike Adams in 1967.

NB-52B 0008, also affectionately known by many as "Balls 8" served as the mothership for the X-15 program on 106 of the 199 missions of the rocket plane. It served for decades running test programs at Edwards AFB, and was finally retired on 17 Dec. 2004, the 101st anniversary of the Wright brothers first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. This postal cover celebrates the career of that aircraft.

An unusual postal cover that juxtiposes the Wright brothers with the X-15. Seven X-15 pilots have signed a first day of issue cache for Orville and Wilbur Wright US Airmail stamp from 23 Sep. 1978. Included is a group photo of six X-15 pilots. Five of the pictured rocket plane pilots are also ones who signed the cover.