Get Your Free Audiobook
-
The X-15 Rocket Plane
- Flying the First Wings into Space
- Narrated by: Gary L. Willprecht
- Length: 20 hrs and 43 mins
- Categories: History, Americas
Non-member price: $43.45
People who bought this also bought...
-
Kelly
- More Than My Share of It All
- By: Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson, Maggie Smith, Brig. Gen. Leo P. Geary USAF (ret.) - foreword
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson led the design of such crucial aircraft as the P-38 and Constellation, but he will be more remembered for the U-2 and SR-71 spy planes. His extraordinary leadership of the Lockheed "Skunk Works" cemented his reputation as a legendary figure in American aerospace management.
-
Ignition!
- An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants
- By: John Drury Clark, Isaac Asimov - foreward
- Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
- Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ignition! is the story of the search for a rocket propellant which could be trusted to take man into space. This search was a hazardous enterprise carried out by rival labs who worked against the known laws of nature, with no guarantee of success or safety. John Drury Clark writes with irreverent and eyewitness immediacy about the development of the explosive fuels strong enough to negate the relentless restraints of gravity. The resulting volume is as much a memoir as a work of history, sharing a behind-the-scenes view of an enterprise that eventually took men to the moon.
-
-
I'm an analytical chemist so I may be biased
- By Anonymous User on 26-01-2020
-
Failure Is Not an Option
- Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
- By: Gene Kranz
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 18 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gene Kranz was present at the creation of America's manned space program and was a key player in it for three decades. As a flight director in NASA's Mission Control, Kranz witnessed firsthand the making of history. He participated in the space program from the early days of the Mercury program to the last Apollo mission, and beyond. He endured the disastrous first years when rockets blew up and the United States seemed to fall further behind the Soviet Union in the space race.
-
-
Excellent
- By Jspaull on 05-05-2017
-
Rocket Men
- The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon
- By: Robert Kurson
- Narrated by: Ray Porter, Robert Kurson
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By August 1968, the American space program was in danger of failing in its two most important objectives: to land a man on the moon by President Kennedy's end-of-decade deadline and to triumph over the Soviets in space. With its back against the wall, NASA made an almost unimaginable leap: It would scrap its usual methodical approach and risk everything on a sudden launch, sending the first men in history to the moon - in just four months.
-
-
A familiar story, well told
- By Peter on 13-05-2018
-
Carrying the Fire
- An Astronaut's Journeys
- By: Michael Collins
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 20 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In July 1969, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins piloted the Apollo 11 spacecraft to the moon. Fifty years later, it is still one of the greatest achievements in human history. In this remarkable memoir, a defining classic, Michael Collins conveys, in a very personal way, the drama, beauty, and humour of that adventure.
-
-
Incredible
- By Angus on 19-11-2020
-
Endurance
- A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery
- By: Scott Kelly
- Narrated by: Scott Kelly
- Length: 13 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the NASA astronaut who spent a record-breaking year aboard the International Space Station - what it's like out there and what it's like now, back here. Enter Scott Kelly's fascinating world and dare to think of your own a little differently. The veteran of four space flights and the American record holder for most consecutive days spent in space, Scott Kelly has experienced things very few of us ever have and very few of us ever will.
-
-
The next best thing to being an astronaut
- By Manch on 02-11-2017
-
Kelly
- More Than My Share of It All
- By: Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson, Maggie Smith, Brig. Gen. Leo P. Geary USAF (ret.) - foreword
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson led the design of such crucial aircraft as the P-38 and Constellation, but he will be more remembered for the U-2 and SR-71 spy planes. His extraordinary leadership of the Lockheed "Skunk Works" cemented his reputation as a legendary figure in American aerospace management.
-
Ignition!
- An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants
- By: John Drury Clark, Isaac Asimov - foreward
- Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
- Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ignition! is the story of the search for a rocket propellant which could be trusted to take man into space. This search was a hazardous enterprise carried out by rival labs who worked against the known laws of nature, with no guarantee of success or safety. John Drury Clark writes with irreverent and eyewitness immediacy about the development of the explosive fuels strong enough to negate the relentless restraints of gravity. The resulting volume is as much a memoir as a work of history, sharing a behind-the-scenes view of an enterprise that eventually took men to the moon.
-
-
I'm an analytical chemist so I may be biased
- By Anonymous User on 26-01-2020
-
Failure Is Not an Option
- Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
- By: Gene Kranz
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 18 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gene Kranz was present at the creation of America's manned space program and was a key player in it for three decades. As a flight director in NASA's Mission Control, Kranz witnessed firsthand the making of history. He participated in the space program from the early days of the Mercury program to the last Apollo mission, and beyond. He endured the disastrous first years when rockets blew up and the United States seemed to fall further behind the Soviet Union in the space race.
-
-
Excellent
- By Jspaull on 05-05-2017
-
Rocket Men
- The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon
- By: Robert Kurson
- Narrated by: Ray Porter, Robert Kurson
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By August 1968, the American space program was in danger of failing in its two most important objectives: to land a man on the moon by President Kennedy's end-of-decade deadline and to triumph over the Soviets in space. With its back against the wall, NASA made an almost unimaginable leap: It would scrap its usual methodical approach and risk everything on a sudden launch, sending the first men in history to the moon - in just four months.
-
-
A familiar story, well told
- By Peter on 13-05-2018
-
Carrying the Fire
- An Astronaut's Journeys
- By: Michael Collins
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 20 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In July 1969, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins piloted the Apollo 11 spacecraft to the moon. Fifty years later, it is still one of the greatest achievements in human history. In this remarkable memoir, a defining classic, Michael Collins conveys, in a very personal way, the drama, beauty, and humour of that adventure.
-
-
Incredible
- By Angus on 19-11-2020
-
Endurance
- A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery
- By: Scott Kelly
- Narrated by: Scott Kelly
- Length: 13 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the NASA astronaut who spent a record-breaking year aboard the International Space Station - what it's like out there and what it's like now, back here. Enter Scott Kelly's fascinating world and dare to think of your own a little differently. The veteran of four space flights and the American record holder for most consecutive days spent in space, Scott Kelly has experienced things very few of us ever have and very few of us ever will.
-
-
The next best thing to being an astronaut
- By Manch on 02-11-2017
-
Mosquito Mayhem
- de Havilland’s Wooden Wonder in Action in WWII
- By: Martin W. Bowman
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Mosquito was probably World War II's most versatile combat aircraft. This book contains hundreds of firsthand accounts from many of the two-man crews who flew in them; pilots and navigators. It portrays the dramatic experiences of flying in its many roles as pathfinder, night fighter, reconnaissance aircraft, precision bombing, and low-level ground attack aircraft. It describes many of the RAF's most audacious raids on prime, but difficult, targets where carpet bombing by heavy bombers was likely to be ineffective and cause unnecessary casualties to civilians.
-
Truth, Lies, and O-Rings
- Inside the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster
- By: Allan J. McDonald, James R. Hansen - contributor
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 26 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a cold January morning in 1986, NASA launched the Space Shuttle Challenger, despite warnings against doing so by many individuals including Allan McDonald. The fiery destruction of Challenger on live television moments after launch remains an indelible image in the nation's collective memory. In Truth, Lies, and O-Rings, McDonald, a skilled engineer and executive, relives the tragedy from where he stood at Launch Control Center.
-
-
Become an expert in SRB's
- By Anonymous User on 21-08-2019
-
Stalking the Red Bear
- The True Story of a U.S. Cold War Submarine's Covert Operations Against the Soviet Union
- By: Peter Sasgen
- Narrated by: Charlie Thurston
- Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stalking the Red Bear, for the first time ever, describes the action principally from the perspective of a commanding officer of a nuclear submarine during the Cold War - the one man aboard a sub who makes the critical decisions - taking us closer to the Soviet target than any work on submarine espionage has ever done before. This is the untold story of a covert submarine espionage operation against the Soviet Union during the Cold War as experienced by the commanding officer of an active submarine.
-
-
Great Story
- By Anonymous User on 13-06-2018
-
Atomic Accidents
- A History of Nuclear Meltdowns and Disasters; From the Ozark Mountains to Fukushima
- By: James Mahaffey
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 15 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the moment radiation was discovered in the late nineteenth century, nuclear science has had a rich history of innovative scientific exploration and discovery, coupled with mistakes, accidents, and downright disasters.
-
-
known knowns to know
- By Ross McFarland on 17-12-2020
-
Apollo
- By: Charles Murray, Catherine Bly Cox
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 18 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Apollo is the behind-the-scenes story of an epic achievement. Based on exhaustive research that included many exclusive interviews, Apollo tells how America went from a standing start to a landing on the moon at a speed that now seems impossible. It describes the unprecedented engineering challenges that had to be overcome to create the mammoth Saturn V and the facilities to launch it. It takes you into the tragedy of the fire on Apollo 1, the first descent to the lunar surface, and the rescue of Apollo 13.
-
-
insighful look into mans greatest achievement
- By Anonymous User on 19-04-2020
-
19 Minutes to Live
- Helicopter Combat in Vietnam
- By: Lew Jennings
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over 12,000 helicopters were used in the Vietnam War, which is why it became known as "The Helicopter War". Almost half of the helicopters, 5,086, were lost. This memoir describes first-hand the harrowing experiences of helicopter pilots and crews in combat operations, from the far South to the DMZ, including the infamous Ashau Valley, Hamburger Hill, LZ Airborne, and others. 19 Minutes to Live illustrates the incredible courage and determination of helicopter pilots and crews supporting those heroes that carried a rucksack and a rifle in Vietnam.
Publisher's Summary
With the Soviet Union's launch of the first Sputnik satellite in 1957, the Cold War soared to new heights as Americans feared losing the race into space. The X-15 Rocket Plane tells the enthralling yet little-known story of the hypersonic X-15, the winged rocket ship that met this challenge and opened the way into human-controlled spaceflight.
Drawing on interviews with those who were there, Michelle Evans captures the drama and excitement of, yes, rocket science: how to handle the heat generated at speeds up to Mach 7, how to make a rocket propulsion system that could throttle, and how to safely reenter the atmosphere from space and make a precision landing.
This book puts a human face on the feats of science and engineering that went into the X-15 program, many of them critical to the development of the Space Shuttle. And, finally, it introduces us to the largely unsung pilots of the X-15. By the time of the Apollo 11 moon landing, 31 American astronauts had flown into space - eight of them astronaut-pilots of the X-15. The X-15 Rocket Plane restores these pioneers, and the others who made it happen, to their rightful place in the history of spaceflight.
Critic Reviews
More from the same
What listeners say about The X-15 Rocket Plane
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Beau
- 18-01-2019
Epic!!
Just epic! A true tale of humanity pushing the limits of what is possible and finding we have potential!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 13-05-2018
Deep Appreciation
you really get an appreciation of the pioneering work done by this program. it also makes you wonder what could have been if subsequent programs were funded
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Glenn
- 06-01-2016
A Facinating Topic But Mediocre Presentation
Is there anything you would change about this book?
First, let's address the material. If you are expecting a chronological history of the design, development, testing, and implementation of the X-15 planes & program you'll be disappointed. I was. Missing here is virtually anything on where the idea came from, how the planes came to be on the drawing board, details of constructing the three aircraft and of the various rocket motors used. This would have been fascinating material to have included in the book. When you think about it, with 199 flights, each lasting only about 10-15 minutes each, that's only roughly about 40 total hours of flight time for all three planes combined.
Don't get me wrong, the flights themselves are fascinating and a crucial part on any look at the X-15 program. It just seemed like there was too much other "filler" that could have been spent on the actual engineering, construction, and modification of the planes. But, perhaps understandably, the author's focus was more on the human interest side of the program.
What you do have is an overview of the careers of the X-15 pilots and the test flights each of them made. That's fine, but still, not in chronological order. What the author does is take each pilot one-by-one, starting from the first to the last, and lays out their careers and details many of the test flights that they participated in. Since each chapter focuses on one pilot alone the narrative often overlaps with material in other chapters. Naturally, this approach also means that there is quite a bit of leaping back and forth from one time frame to another as a new chapter begins. This took a while to get use to and was very confusing at first because I was frequently getting lost in what year we were in while listening. Also, this style, in a way, spoils some of the potential drama later in the book, and one event in particular near the end could have been more dramatic except for it being completely spoiled by a reference to it earlier in the book.
Now to the narration. Yes, as others have observed, this was not the best choice in narrator. The voice was so monotone, droning, and slow (I mean SLOW!) that I had to increase the play speed to 1.5X just to make the listening experience more interesting and lively. That actually made the the material quite listenable.
Just before the book was finished yesterday I adjusted the speed back to 1X just to see if I was exaggerating. No! I couldn't believe how plodding the reading was and how accustomed to 1.5X I had become. I would never have made it to the finish at normal speed. It really made it hard to concentrate and I was missing key dates, names, and locations because the reading was sleep inducing. Running it at 1.5X was much better.
All of this might seem like a negative review, but that's not entirely the case. Overall, I did come around to enjoying the book. But the material and presentation could have been much better except for the aspects I mention above.
Were the concepts of this book easy to follow, or were they too technical?
See Above
How did the narrator detract from the book?
See Above
If this book were a movie would you go see it?
Possibly
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Jack RedL
- 25-09-2015
Great detailed history of the X-15
Very detailed history and breakdown if each pilot. I just found the reading very monotonous, like a reading of the phone book. I had to stop many times and come back to it, it kind of droned on.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Michael
- 08-06-2018
Wealth of knowledge
It's long but it's an amazing in-depth book on an aircraft that most people never knew existed. Michelle tells the story of each of the X-15 pilots with great detail. The amount of research she put into this book is staggering. I've had the pleasure of seeing Michelle give talks about the X-15 and if you ever have the chance, I highly recommend going to see her. One tip for this audiobook, though, is speed it up 10% so the narrator talks at a more normal pace. He does a great job changing his voice for the different people but he's just way to slow for me. Overall this was a great book and I definitely recommend it if you're interested in the people behind this awesome aircraft.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- JediBirther
- 30-06-2017
Painfully Boring
I love aerospace technology and stories about it but cripes, this will put you to sleep. It's 67 biographies of the people who worked on the X-15 and reads like VCR repair manual read by your most boring Uncle. There is no big picture view of how this factored into the Cold War; No implications of the technology for research or aerial warfare; No info on what the Russians were doing in response. No, instead you get stories about the chief mechanic's upbringing in Nebraska. Its no surprise that author's only other work is about the Texas court system. (*Yawn*) I wanted to quit this half way through and only suffered it to write this review to warn others that this is the perfect substitution for sleeping pills.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Michael Evans-Layng
- 27-12-2016
Most thorough and honest book on X-15 you'll find
If you have any sort of substantial interest in the X-15 you'll want to read this excellent book on the program. While the primary focus is on the pilots, Evans succeeded in getting a truly wide array of those involved in the project on every level to reflect deeply, and talk honestly, about the successes and failures of the program, both in terms of hardware and the very real humanity of the participants. It's very well written and truly brimming with information and insights, large portions of which I had never encountered before.
As it follows the careers of the pilots you'll find triumphs and tragedies (sorry about the cliche) on personal as well as professional levels. Because Evans looks at entire careers there is also quite a bit of information about the manned space program. People name names in their often pointed observations and even outright criticisms. But the book is not gossipy or prurient.
I found the reading uneven and sometimes bothersome. Seeing as how the author is a woman I would have preferred a female reader. The performer had, I thought, an odd cadence and unusual inflections that I found off-putting at times. But these are quibbles.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely search for other works by Michelle Evans.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Gabriel
- 04-11-2014
This narrator really stunk up a wonderfull story
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
I would recommend that they read this book instead of listening to it.... .because the narrator pauses.... in places that don't...... make sense. Very distracting to the story.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
This..... narrator pauses.... often, and in very unusual places.
Did The X-15 Rocket Plane inspire you to do anything?
The X-15 Rocket Plane inspired me to write a review as the the narrator detracted so noticeably from this amazing story.
Any additional comments?
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Bruce
- 04-10-2014
Great book, poor presentation
Would you be willing to try another one of Gary L. Willprecht’s performances?
No.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
It's too long for that.
Any additional comments?
The reader inserts pauses and emphasis in inappropriate places. The use of pauses and stressing of words should be consistent with, and support the text. In this book, they detract from it. I'm only half way through the book, but I'm considering abandoning it because I find the presentation so distracting.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- JessicaRaeF
- 14-03-2020
A book that is anything but a disappointment!
As an aerospace engineer myself, I heard that this book was fantastic. When I read it I definitely agree now. For those that are going to college or even getting postgraduate work, I highly recommend this awesome piece of literature. It’s not just important to know about technical details, it’s important to know the backstory behind those that were part of this. A good philosophical argument to remember what this is really all about.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Genghis Green
- 06-02-2019
An informative and exciting read.
This is a great book FULL of facts and history. A very exciting and informative dive into the X-15s and the people that made this historic and groundbreaking project go. A must read for any space and or aerospace buff. The reading was very bad and the voice affect on quoted lines was hilarious and tedious at the same time. I finally dialed up the speed to 1.25 and it became tolerable. The information, stories and insight are WELL worth the trek.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- John Hayes
- 27-01-2019
Interesting bits, but..
The parts about the X15 are great. Unfortunately the story drifts too much and contains the author's rant about gay politics.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Preselector
- 16-02-2019
A rather long-winded, one-sided story.
This is the story of the people who flew the X-15 rocket plane. It covers their lives and experiences in great, sometimes exhaustive detail. However, it only mentions the X-15 when it directly affects the story of the people who flew it. Consequently it is very slow to recount the story of the aircraft itself. Plus it leaves great voids around how the machine was conceived, the rational behind the technical decisions made in its design and the precise purpose of many of the flights it recounts in such detail. Possibly the author was too close to the people and not intrigued enough by the technology. So, if you are looking for the story of the plane's engineering, you'll have to be patient and take what you get because this seems to be the only audio version of any book on this fascinating subject. To compound matters, the narrator has a frustrating habit of putting emphasis on the wrong words and dropping seemingly random pauses into inappropriate places making it quite hard work at times.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- David Milne
- 23-07-2016
Pretty good, but some odd tangents
Good listen, some chapters near the end seemed to go off track a bit (X15 related movies etc) which didn't hold my interest so well, but overall pretty good!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- A R H
- 06-08-2014
Brilliant for a fanatic
If you could sum up The X-15 Rocket Plane in three words, what would they be?
Detailed, long, precise
What was one of the most memorable moments of The X-15 Rocket Plane?
The record breaking feats of daring by the pilots and the realisation the Neal Armstrong was taken off of flight duties
Have you listened to any of Gary L. Willprecht’s other performances? How does this one compare?
No
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
God this this long
Any additional comments?
If like me you a a die hard fan of all things areonautic and space, then this is the book for you. I can see that the story could have a limited audience to the some muggles
16 Best Audiobooks by Aboriginal Authors
Across genres, there’s no shortage of brilliant titles from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers of Australia.



25 Best Celebrity Audiobooks
It’s always a pleasant surprise to pick up a familiar story and find an unexpected famous friend in the narrator’s booth.



Best Audiobooks of 2020
We've crunched the numbers, heard from our listeners and gotten expert opinions to round up the best listens of 2020.


