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Joe Engle

American - (NASA)

Deceased

Date of Birth: Aug. 26, 1932
Date of Death: July 10, 2024


Joe Henry Engle was an American pilot who served in the United States Air Force, test pilot for the North American X-15 program, aeronautical engineer, and a NASA astronaut. Engle test-flew the joint NASA-Air Force X-15 rocket airplane. During the course of testing, Engle earned his USAF Astronaut Wings, a Distinguished Flying Cross and other awards. Engle was selected by NASA in 1966 for the Apollo program, and was originally scheduled to land on the Moon as Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 17, but was bumped when later flights were cancelled, so that geologist-astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt could fly. He subsequently became one of the first astronauts in the Space Shuttle program, having flight tested the Space Shuttle Enterprise in 1977. He was Commander of the second orbital test flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1981.

X-15 | Flight 138

North American Aviation | United States of America
Air launch to Suborbital flight
June 29, 1965, 6:21 p.m.
Status: Success
Mission:

Flight 138 of the North American X-15 was a test flight conducted by NASA and the US Air Force in 1965. Piloted by Joe H. Engle it reached an altitude of 85.5 km.

Suborbital
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X-15 | Flight 143

North American Aviation | United States of America
Air launch to Suborbital flight
Aug. 10, 1965, 7:24 p.m.
Status: Success
Mission:

Flight 143 of the North American X-15 was a test flight conducted by NASA and the US Air Force in 1965. Piloted by Joe H. Engle it reached an altitude of 82.6 km.

Suborbital
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X-15 | Flight 153

North American Aviation | United States of America
Air launch to Suborbital flight
Oct. 14, 1965, 8:47 p.m.
Status: Success
Mission:

Flight 153 of the North American X-15 was a test flight conducted by NASA and the US Air Force in 1965. Piloted by Joe H. Engle it reached an altitude of 81.1 km.

Suborbital
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Space Shuttle Columbia / OV-102 | STS-2

National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of America
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Nov. 12, 1981, 3:10 p.m.
Status: Success
Mission:

STS-2 was the second flight of the Space Shuttle program. It flew on Columbia again marking the first time in history that a manned, reusable orbital vehicle returned to orbit for a second time.

Low Earth Orbit
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Space Shuttle Discovery / OV-103 | STS-51-I

National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of America
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Aug. 27, 1985, 10:58 a.m.
Status: Success
Mission:

STS-51-I was the twentieth of the shuttle program and sixth of Space Shuttle Discovery. It deployed three 10 satellites and then repaired a malfunctioning satellite. This mission required two EVAs.

Low Earth Orbit
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Administrator: Bill Nelson

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. NASA have many launch facilities but most are inactive. The most commonly used pad will be LC-39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.


Falcon 9
In Flight
17 minutes ago
Starlink Group 9-13
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


New Shepard
Success
1 day, 14 hours ago
NS-28
West Texas Suborbital Launch Site/ Corn Ranch - Corn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA

Twenty-eighth flight of New Shepard carrying six passengers.


Falcon 9
Success
2 days, 13 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-66
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Soyuz 2.1a
Success
2 days, 17 hours ago
Progress MS-29 (90P)
31/6 - Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan

Progress resupply mission to the International Space Station.


Starship
Success
4 days, 7 hours ago
Integrated Flight Test 6
Orbital Launch Mount A - SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA

Sixth test flight of the two-stage Starship launch vehicle.