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Joe H. Engle Oral History Interviews

Former U.S. Air Force test pilot and NASA astronaut Joe Engle — who died on July 10, 2024 — participated in the Johnson Space Center Oral History Project in 1998 and 2004. He sat for six interviews that covered his life and career. Transcripts of the interviews are available to download from this page.

Portrait of Joe Engle from 1986

Download PDF’s of the interviews with Joe Engle

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April 22, 2004

Covering Engle's earliest interest in aviation as a child through his first flights as pilot of the X-15 rocket plane.

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May 5, 2004

More stories about Engle's time at Edwards Air Force Base, tales about Chuck Yeager, and the move to NASA.

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May 27, 2004

Astronaut training and crew stories, Apollo missions, Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests at Edwards, and STS-1.

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June 3, 2004

Engle recalls his two Space Shuttle missions: the shortened STS-2 that included his manual re-entry and landing, and STS-51I.

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June 24, 2004

The loss of Challenger, additional contributions to the Shuttle program, working with the Russians, and the loss of Columbia.

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July 15, 1998

Part of the Shuttle-Mir Oral History interviews, Engle describes his role in the program and his role on the Stafford Task Force.

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Biographical Data Sheet

This sheet provided background information for the Oral Historian to prepare for the interview.

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Remembering Joe Engle

Joe Engle, an aerospace legend who made significant contributions to both aeronautics and space at NASA, died July 10 at age 91. Being the first pilot to reach space flying two different winged vehicles is just one highlight of his storied career. This special report assembles in one place a variety of content from NASA about the life of Joe Engle.

Learn More about the life of Joe Engle
Joe Engle standing in front of the X-15 exhibit.
Joe Engle—retired U.S. Air Force major general, former space shuttle astronaut and X-15 test pilot.
NASA / Kathy Barnstorff
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