Science: Man-Made Meteor

The U.S. public has not been told—and is not likely to be told—what missiles hold the altitude and speed records. A strong contender for both titles is the Lockheed X17, a comparatively unambitious research job that was not designed to break either record. According to reliable scuttlebutt last week, the X-17 has climbed 600 miles straight up from Florida's Cape Canaveral. Coming down, it reached 9,240 m.p.h.

The same individual missile could not have made both records. The X17, officially designated as a "reentry test vehicle," was designed and built to test heat-resistant materials...

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