It's October 10, 1947, 40,000 feet above the Mojave Desert in California.

24-year-old first lieutenant Chuck Yeager holds the controls of his X-1 aircraft as it speeds through

the sky. He gently pushes a lever forward, increasing the thrust of his jet engines. The aircraft

responds, and Chuck watches the airspeed indicator creep up to mock 0.997, or almost 700 miles per hour,

faster than any human has flown before.

Although breaking the airspeed record is a remarkable achievement,

that's not the point of today's mission.

The aim of this experimental plane isn't just to fly faster than anyone has gone before.

It's to eventually go faster than the speed of sound. Today's flight is another

step toward achieving that goal. Chuck reports over the radio that he's hit the target speed,

the last objective they need to check off before attempting to break the sound mirror. And so with

today's mission accomplished, he gently pulls back on the stick,

aiming to lift the plane's nose to slow it down.

But nothing happens.

Chuck pulls on the controls harder, but it still has no effect.

A sense of horror grips Chuck as he realizes he's lost control of the X-1.

But Chuck's training kicks in, and he forces himself to think logically. He reaches for

another lever and eases back the throttle. And as the plane decelerates, Chuck tries moving the

controls again. This time, the nose does lift, although it's slow to respond. Now confident

that it's the plane's speed that's affecting its handling, Chuck flips a switch

and shuts down the jet engines. With no forward thrust, the plane slows even more quickly,

and as its airspeed drops, Chuck regains control of the aircraft. With a sigh of relief,

...