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20 May 2025
It’s time once again for the Historical Society of the Upper Mojave Desert’s Annual Dinner Meeting, which will take place on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at the Historic USO Building, 230 W. Ridgecrest Blvd.
Noted rocket authority Michelle Evans, author of “The X-15 Rocket Plane – Flying the First Wings into Space,” will, once again, be our special guest speaker for the evening. Evans’ presentation will focus on this remarkable research aircraft that held the world’s altitude record for 41 years, with a top speed of more than 4,500 mph that remains unequaled to this very day. Beyond the X-15, itself, are the stories of the 12 men who guided her into space, and the team that kept her flying for nearly a decade, playing a significant role in aerospace history.
Evans has written an extensive article, “My Adventures with the X-15 Rocket Plane,” to be featured in the Friday, May16 edition of the Daily Independent, about her and the enthralling yet, little-known, story of the hypersonic winged rocket ship that blazed the trail to human-controlled spaceflight. Readers may also currently read her article in the May HSUMD Newsletter.
Doors will open at the Historic USO Building at 5:30 pm, and dinner will be served at 6:00, with a short business meeting, including the Board of Directors election following dinner, and then the presentation.
The dinner menu will include tri-tip and chicken and will be prepared by Rodando Estrada and Joe DePina and the High Desert Quilt Guild. Tickets cost $20/person and are available at the HSUMD Bookstore in the Historic USO Building. The Bookstore hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. Tickets are already selling briskly. (Yodel.today and FaceBook)
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