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  The first of the rocket-powered research aircraft, the X-1 (originally designated the XS-1), was a bullet-shaped airplane that was built by the Bell Aircraft Company for the US Air Force and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). The mission of the X-1 was to investigate the transonic speed range (speeds from just below to just above the speed of sound) and, if possible, to break the "sound barrier". The XS-1 program not only proved that humans could go beyond the speed of sound, it reinforced the understanding that technological barriers could be overcome. Many structural and aerodynamic advances were pioneered by the original XS-1s, including extremely thin, yet exceptionally strong wing sections, supersonic fuselage configurations, control system requirements, powerplant compatibility, and cockpit environment. For
the first time in a transonic-capable aircraft, an all-moving stabilizer
was utilized. The flights of the XS-1's opened up a new era in aviation.
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