A stronaut, X-15 test pilot and space shuttle pilot Joe Engle has died at home in Houston, Texas. He was 91. Engle passed peacefully surrounded by his family according to a NASA press release.

For test pilots such as Mr. Engle, the X-15 was beloved because it was still fundamentally a plane, which they controlled from airborne launch to its landing on dry lakebeds in California.

The pilot, Capt. Michael Adams, was killed. The X-15 flew faster and higher than any other airplane. A peak altitude of 354,200 feet (67± miles) was reached by the X-15, and the X-15A-2 attained a ...

Joe Engle, who had the distinction of being the only astronaut to pilot an X-15 aircraft and a space shuttle, died in Houston on Wednesday, July 10. He was 91.

Astronaut, X-15 test pilot and space shuttle pilot Joe Engle has died at home in Houston, Texas. He was 91. Engle passed peacefully surrounded by his family according to a NASA press release.