Robert A. Rushworth
Robert A. Rushworth | |
|---|---|
Rushworth in the cockpit of an X-15 | |
| Born | Robert Aitken Rushworth October 9, 1924 Madison, Maine, U.S. |
| Died | March 18, 1993 (aged 68) Camarillo, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Hill Cemetery |
| Other names | Bob Rushworth |
| Alma mater | University of Maine (BEng, 1951) Air University (BS, 1954) |
| Occupation | Test pilot |
| Space career | |
| USAF astronaut | |
| Rank | Major general, USAF |
| Selection | 1958 MISS Group |
| Missions | X-15 Flight 87 |
| Retirement | June 1, 1981 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Army Air Forces United States Air Force |
| Service years | 1944–1981 |
| Rank | Major general |
| Conflicts | World War II Korean War Vietnam War |
| Awards | Legion of Merit Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal James H. Doolittle Award |
Robert Aitken "Bob" Rushworth (October 9, 1924 – March 18, 1993) was a United States Air Force major general, World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War pilot, mechanical and aeronautical engineer, test pilot and astronaut. He was one of twelve pilots who flew the North American X-15, an experimental spaceplane jointly operated by the Air Force and NASA. He flew 34 of the program's 199 flights, more than any other pilot.
On June 27, 1963, he flew the X-15 to an altitude above 50 miles, thereby qualifying as an astronaut according to the United States definition of the boundary of space. However, this altitude did not surpass the Kármán line, the internationally accepted boundary of 100 kilometers (62 miles).