cover image Into the Unknown: The X-1 Story

Into the Unknown: The X-1 Story

Louis C. Rotundo, Rotundo. Smithsonian Books, $29.95 (356pp) ISBN 978-1-56098-305-7

Rotundo relates the saga of the conquest of the supposedly impenetrable ``sound barrier'' by an American team that featured intensive cooperation among industry, government and science. It is the story of the experimental X-1 program and the 50 glider and jet-powered flights in 1946-1947, each of which was a learning experience for the pilots and technicians. The overall effort culminated in the spectacular moment on October 14, 1947, when Air Force Captain Charles ``Chuck'' Yeager breached the Mach 1 barrier far above the Mojave Desert and opened a new era in aviation. His supersonic flight, recounted here in thrilling detail, confirmed American aviation supremacy and laid the foundation for the subsequent Mercury/Apollo space explorations. (The X-1 research craft now hangs in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.) Rotundo (editor of Battle for Stalingrad ) displays an impressive knack for making complex technical material comprehensible to the lay reader. Photos. (Apr.)