What happens
Pappy Winfield, a test pilot, prepares to fly the experimental X-15 rocket plane to the edge of space while his wife Aaron worries at home. Aboard the craft, he finds the weightlessness of space exhilarating and begins to drift beyond his orders, while ground control and Dr. May struggle to reach him. The story is part of the CBS radio series Suspense and was originally broadcast on November 1, 1959, with George Bamberg credited as writer. The transcript breaks off during the re-entry sequence, so the guide does not cover the full episode.
A test flight of the X-15 rocket plane from Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert, with scenes at home and in ground control.
Characters: Pappy Winfield, Aaron, Ed Hill, General Brighton, Dr. May, Howard, Dave Miller
Listen for: Pappy's changing voice as weightlessness takes hold, and the tense exchanges between ground control and the pilot during re-entry.
Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.