Cold War: Yeager Breaks Sound Barrier

October 14, 1947 - Captain Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier flying the Bell X-1 (right). Designed for the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA) in 1945, the Bell X-1 was a rocket-powered aircraft intended for use in aviation research. Intentionally shaped like a .50 cal. bullet, NACA hoped to use the aircraft to break the sound barrier. In June 1947, the program was taken over by the US Army Air Force who wished to see the flight schedule intensified. On October 14, 1947, Captain Chuck Yeager became the first man to break the sound barrier when his X-1 "Glamorous Glennis" achieved a speed of Mach 1.06 (807.2 mph). Yeager's flight was a publicity boon for the newly formed US Air Force. Further test flights with the X-1 continued with the date gathered used in designing new military aircraft. In addition, the procedures developed during the X-1 program formed the basis for the X-craft projects as well as the new US space program.

Photograph Courtesy of NASA