Mary Shafer wrote:

The X-15 was an NACA/NASA project that the USAF participated in. It was
never a USAF project. Instead it was always a joint NASA/USAF project,
except early on when it was an NACA/USAF project.

Actually, it was a joint NASA/USAF/USN project, although the USAF took a much
larger and more visible role. And it was a strictly NACA project until July
1954, when the services signed on :-)

In fact, the first ever U.S. (preliminary) astronaut selection was
announced in a USAF briefing concerning MISS on 25 June 1958. The list
included test pilots Robert Walker, Scott Crossfield, Neil Armstrong,
Robert Rushworth, William Bridgeman, Alvin White, Iven Kincheloe, Robert
White, and Jack McKay.

Scotty, Neil, and Jack were civilians, not military.

Who said they were military? BTW, mention of this "preliminary selection"
is mentioned in, among other places,

NASM Air & Space Magazine
http://www.airspacemag.com/asm/mag/i.../AS/First.html

If this is incorrect, the Smithsonian should be notified so the on-line
version of the article can be corrected.

They all worked at NASA FRC until Scotty went to NAA.

At the time, they worked for NACA ;-)

...NASA test pilot, not military, so he was highly unlikely to be an X-20
candidate. However, he did fly in a NASA project in support of X-20,
mimicking the RTLS escape sequence for the X-20 if the rocket had a problem
on launch and the X-20 had to set itself free and land.

Mark Wade lists Armstrong as one of seven pilots who were selected in Apr
1960 as pilots for X-20A Dyna-Soar spaceplane flights. Qualification: Assigned
from pool of active USAF and NASA Test Pilots. If this is incorrect, we
should notify Mark.

http://www.astronautix.com/astrogrp/usap1960.htm

--
Dave Michelson