Armstrong and McKay evaluate the Q-ball nose. He was launched from the NB-52A by Major Jack Allavie and Major Frank Cole over Rosamond Dry Lake on the southwest side of Edwards Air Force Base. He had made his first rocket powered flight in the Bell X-1 nearly ten years earlier, on April 20, 1951. The upper part of the blue circle was clipped by the lower edge of the DayGlo orange extending aft from the top of the chin radome. Note that the lettering and badge are outlined in bare metal against the DayGlo orange.
Q stands for dynamic pressure.
The flight was postponed by weather until the following day. Armstrong was launched from the NB-52B by Major Allavie and Major Cole over Palmdale. The barber pole air data boom has been replaced with the Q-ball nose. The bare metal area formerly covered by orange paint is slightly brighter. Then it was postponed for another day by a hydraulic fluid heater failure.