 In order to mitigate risks , a massive testing program was started . By mid @-@ 1954 , the first production drawings were issued and wind tunnel work began , along with extensive computer simulation studies carried out both in Canada and the United States using sophisticated computer programs . In a related program , nine instrumented free @-@ flight models were mounted on solid fuel Nike rocket boosters and launched from Point Petre over Lake Ontario while two additional models were launched from the NACA facility at Wallops Island , Virginia , over the Atlantic Ocean . These models were for aerodynamic drag and stability testing , flown to a maximum speed of Mach 1 @.@ 7 + before intentionally crashing into the water . 
