Michael James Adams
Michael James Adams was a United States Air Force test pilot, engineer, MOL astronaut designee, and X-15 pilot. His single X-15 spaceflight ended in disaster, making him one of the earliest fatalities connected to a United States space mission by the American altitude standard.
- Born
- May 5, 1930
- Died
- November 15, 1967
- Birthplace
- Sacramento, California,United States
Flights
1
Spacewalks
N/A
EVA time
N/A
In space
Suborbital X-15 spaceflight; duration not listed in source data
Bio
Adams served as a fighter pilot during the Korean War and later trained as a test pilot. He was selected for the Manned Orbiting Laboratory program before moving into the X-15 program, where pilots explored the edge of space in rocket-powered aircraft.
On November 15, 1967, Adams flew X-15 Flight 191 above 50 miles, qualifying for astronaut recognition under the United States standard. During , the aircraft entered a hypersonic spin and broke apart, killing Adams. It also needs to preserve the MOL connection and the fatal nature of the final flight.