Cape Canaveral, Fla., the United State’s premier site for the launching of rockets and astronauts, marks the 60th anniversary of its first lift off on Saturday (July 24th, 2010).
On July 24, 1950, a 62-foot long V-2 rocket rose in a low arc from a very primitive Launch Pad 3, reaching an altitude of just 10 miles, according to historical account accounts compiled by NASA and Spaceline.org
The surroundings were quite primitive, a small wooden blockhouse barricaded by 100s of sandbags for protection in case of an explosion stood uncomfortably close to a sturdy concrete launch pad. The V-2 first stage and its Without Any Control (WAC) Corporal second stage were fueled from fuel trucks and drums of propellant hoisted into position.
Personnel from the Army’s Ballistic Missile Agency worked and lived in tents on the alligator infested grounds, braving the heat and humidity. U. S. Navy ships and their sailors were stationed off the Atlantic Coast to track the brief flight of the missiles.
General Electric handled the historic launch of Bumper 8, the next to last in a series of ballistic missile development flights using V-2 rockets captured by the Allies at the end of World War II. Six previous Bumper missions were launched from White Sands, N. M.
However, the Army needed more room for a pair of tests that would reveal whether rockets with multiple stages could accelerate and separate successfully in near horizontal flight.
Bumper 7 was designated for the first Cape lift off on July 19, 1950. However, the primitive rocket misfired. Bumper 7 was successfully launched 10 days later.
Today, Cape Canaveral is host to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. They’ve served as the starting for the launching of the first U. S. satellite, the first U. S. astronauts, each of the Apollo and space shuttle flights as well as robotic missions destined for destinations throughout the solar system.
Mark CarreauÂ