Astronaut Joe Engle, Last Surviving X-15 Pilot, Dies at 91

Joe Engle, who had the distinction of being the only astronaut to pilot an X-15 aircraft and a space shuttle, died in Houston on Wednesday, July 10. He was 91 years old. 

NASA announced the death of Engle, a retired U.S. Air Force major general. The space agency said in its news release that Engle was the last surviving X-15 pilot. 

The Kansas native graduated in 1955 from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, with an aeronautical engineering degree. According to his NASA biography, he “received his commission through the Air Force ROTC program at the University of Kansas and entered USAF flying school in March 1956.”

In June 1965, Engle piloted an X-15 to an altitude of 280,600 feet, the space agency said, adding that “three of his sixteen flights in the X-15 exceeded the 50-mile (264,000 feet) altitude required for astronaut rating.”

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Engle was selected as an astronaut for NASA at age 32 — the youngest pilot to ever qualify as one.

Engle’s NASA biography also stated that he was commander of one of two crews that took part in the Space Shuttle “Enterprise” approach and landing test missions in 1977. 

“In November 1981, he commanded the second flight of the space shuttle Columbia. He was the first and only pilot to manually fly an aerospace vehicle from Mach 25 to landing,” NASA said per its July 11 news release. 

“He accumulated the last of his 224 hours in space when he commanded the space shuttle Discovery in August 1985, one of the most challenging shuttle missions ever,” the agency’s statement continued. “On that mission the crew deployed three commercial satellites and retrieved, repaired, and redeployed another malfunctioning satellite that had been launched on a previous shuttle mission.”

According to NASA, Engle flew in 185 different types of aircraft and also logged in 14,700 flight hours. He is a recipient of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, NASA Exceptional Service Medal, and NASA Space Flight Medal. His military honors included the Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, and the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster.

“As we mourn the immense loss of Joe, we’re thankful for his notable contributions to the advancement of human spaceflight,” Vanessa Wyche, the director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, said in a press statement. “Joe’s accomplishments and legacy of perseverance will continue to inspire and impact generations of explorers for years to come.” 

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, a former astronaut and U.S. senator, remarked of Engle via the space agency’s news release: “He was one of the first astronauts I met at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. I’ll never forget his big smile, his warmth, and his courage. We all will miss him.” 

Mike Massimino, another former NASA astronaut, paid tribute to Engle in a post on X, writing: “I am saddened by the passing of Joe Engle, the only astronaut to fly both the X-15 & Space Shuttle. Every time I saw him he had a huge smile on his face, a great story to tell me, and words of encouragement. We have lost a true American hero, Godspeed my friend.”

Engle's wife, Jeanie, described him in a press statement as "a loving husband, father and grandfather."

“Blessed with natural piloting skills,” she said, “General Joe, as he was known to many, was at his happiest in any cockpit. Always with a smile, he lived a fulfilled life as a proud American, U.S. Air Force pilot, astronaut, and Kansas Jayhawk.”

Engle was surrounded by his family at the time of his death, per NASA.