Hi, enjoyed the article.

   But….  

   When I was a kid I paid attention to the X-15 program.  Winged aircraft.  Mostly.  Got to 1/3 of a million ft altitude….  almost Mach 7.  Yes, winged aircraft can go that fast and sort of safely have a human along for the ride.  I wonder if you could interview any extant veterans of that program.  But, since I was a kid then (made a model of it, of course) and I am almost not extant, maybe that’s not possible.  

   Best wishes,

Sid