The X-15 was an American rocket plane of the mid-20th century. It was used jointly by NASA and the United States Air Force.
In the Shipyard Bar in the alternate reality, a picture of the X-15 was present. (Star Trek)
In 2259 of the alternate reality, a replica of this aircraft was on display in the office of Admiral Alexander Marcus. (Star Trek Into Darkness)
The Artisan prop and model shop of Quantum Mechanix, QMx FX Cinema Arts, was asked to illustrate the history of space flight with models for the film. They constructed fourteen models in total. On their website, there was a picture of the X-15 model. According to the site, this plane type, built by North American, achieved several notable firsts, including being the first reusable spacecraft. Being capable of exceeding fifty miles, the plane was rated as suborbital, and the pilots were considered to be astronauts. However, the first manned flight into space occurred several months earlier on Vostok 1. The plane, also, holds the record for the fastest-recorded manned flight.
The model is patterned after X-15-2A (AF S/N 56-66671), which was flown for fifty-three missions. Subsequent to its retirement in 1969, the plane was moved to the Research and Development Hanger of the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. [1]