Barely five miles down the back roads from me is “Joe Walker Elementary School,” named after hometown hero Joe Walker, who was the first person to fly an airplane to space.
Joe was born in Washington, Pennsylvania on February 20, 1921, and graduated from Washington and Jefferson College with a BA in Physics in 1942. Subsequently, he entered the Army Air Force.
After the war, Joe worked in pioneering pilot research and, on July 19, 1963 became the first NASA pilot to fly the X-15 aircraft more than 100 kilometres in altitude, and–technically–into space. Walker continued his work for NASA for another three years, but was killed ain a flyover formation for a publicity photograph on June 8, 1866, when his F-104N Starfighter collided with an XB-70 Valkyrie.
Walker was inducted into the Aerospace Walk of Honor in 1991, and the International Space Hall of Fame in 1995. Joe Walker Middle School in Quartz Hill, California, is named in his honor as well as the Joe Walker Elementary School in Washington, Pennsylvania.
On August 23, 2005, NASA officially conferred on Walker his Astronaut Wings, posthumously.
Rest in peace.
A great post about a nearly forgotten flight pioneer, thanks! When “The Right Stuff” was published (1979?) the rocketplane pilots were already an afterthought; Tom Wolfe’s book brought them back to attention.