The historical record of the final test flight of the Bell X-2 shows that Capt. Milburn G. "Mel" Apt on September 27, 1956, attained Mach 3.2 (2,094 mph) at 65,500 ft., but, in his return, was unable to recover from a spin. Although he fired the ejection capsule, he did not emerge and parachute to safety.
Scott Bakula (Sam Beckett), Dean Stockwell (Al Calavicci), Bruce McGill (Weird Ernie) and Dennis Wolfberg (Gooshie) are the only actors to appear in both this episode and the series finale Mirror Image - August 8, 1953 (1993). McGill played Al the Bartender in the finale while the other three played the same characters in both episodes.
When Sam wakes up and starts to remember his life, he says that his sister Katie married a Navy lieutenant named Jim Bonnick. Jim Bonnick was a character from Magnum P.I. (1980-1988), which was also created by Donald P. Bellisario.
The episode won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Series.