Skyrocket

On November 20, 1953, Scott Crossfield flew this Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket faster than Mach 2--or twice the speed of sound--becoming the first human ever to go that fast. The plane was air-launched from a U.S. Navy Boeing P2B-1S, or B-29), and reached Mach 2.005 at an altitude of 62,000 feet, in a shallow dive, according to the museum.

Click here to read the related story on the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and click here to check out the entire Road Trip 2010 package.