Wingless M2-F1 completes first glide flight, signaling lifting-body era

On Aug. 16, 1963, NASA's wingless M2-F1 lifting-body prototype completed its first glide flight after being towed aloft by a C-47, with test pilot Milt Thompson delivering a smooth two‑minute descent and landing in California. The flight demonstrated that a wingless lifting-body could be controlled and landed, helping pave the way for the lifting-body research that influenced later NASA/ Air Force programs and, ultimately, the space shuttle, even though NASA pursued capsule-based designs for crewed missions.