1944 January 1 - Launch Vehicle: Corporal. -
 Private and Corporal missile development begun. Nation: USA. At request of Army Ordnance, Cal Tech's rocket laboratory started research and development program on long-range missiles, called Project ORDCIT, which resulted in development of Private "A" and Corporal missiles. References: 17.
1944 During the Year - - Congress appropriated funds to carry out a rocket aircraft research program. Nation: USA. Spacecraft: XS-1. The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the Air Force, and the Navy were designated participating members. References: 483.
1944 During the Year - - Bell Aircraft begins work on the XS-1 rocketplane. Nation: USA. Spacecraft: XS-1. Due to the press of war work, Bell Aircraft was the only company that would take on the XS-1 rocketplane project. This would produce the X-1, the first aircraft to break the sound barrier, and the first in a line of X- aircraft leading to the space shuttle. German swept-wing research being unknown, the configuration developed was a thin, straight-winged aircraft with a bullet-shaped fuselage.
Beginning of 1944 - Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. -
 V-2 sounding rockets Nation: Germany. Apogee: 189 km (117 mi). The Peenemuende team developed scientific payloads for a sounding rocket version of the V-2, to measure cosmic rays, meteoroid flux, and so on. However due to the pressure to solve the missile's reliability problems, these were never flown from Germany. Only after the war could these plans be implemented in New Mexico. However during the war there were some vertical shots of the missile to test its stability and behaviour in a vacuum. On one such shot the missile reached 189 km altitude. On another occasion four launch troops were killed when the missile ascended, then veered 90 degrees, turned again, and impacted in the launch pit at the point of launch.
References: 693.
During 1944 - Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. - V-2 guidance development Nation: Germany. Early A4's were equipped with a radio-controlled cut-off system. These were replaced in service versions by self-contained integrating accelerometers. Professors Bucholz and Wagner at Darmstadt had developed the system, which was shown to have the same accuracy as the radio-controled system. This system had been tested as early as the fall of 1939, but no production quantities were available until mid-1944. Gyroscopic guidance systems from Kresselgeraete GmbH were tested, but found to have inferior accuracy to the acceleromter-based system. For better precision a double integrator system was needed, but this could not be developed before the war's end. Virtually all A4 systems were developed by the engineers at Peenemuende rather than by industry. Some said that it would have been better handled by industry, but in fact there was no such thing as rocket technology when Von Braun's team began their work - it all had to be created.
References: 693.
First half 1944 - Launch Site: Heidelager. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. - Production V-2's exploding in flight. Nation: Germany. The production series of V-2's are exploding in flight, and the engineers cannot determine the reason. Peenemuende engineers sought to recover 30% of the missiles for detailed examination. This showed that re-entry heating did not weaken the missile's structure. There was no scorching of the 0.6 mm thick paint applied to the interior of the missile. Only the outer paint showed signs of scorching. The missile still suffered in-flight explosions - attributed to the re-entry heating of 480 deg C and residual propellant vapours that still escaped despite the better sealing. Dornberger thought the liquid oxygen tank was the problem, while Von Braun suspected the alcohol tank. To try to determine the cause, five V-2's were shot with the engine running until all of the alcohol was depleted. These were followed by six shots with improved glass wool insulation of the liquid oxygen tank, over the objections of Riedel III, head of manufacturing at Peenemuende. Three of these shots were made in one morning, and all went off course. These were in turn followed by a series of highly instrumented launches from Peenemuende. The improvements developed as a result of these tests improved the missile reliability from 30% to 70% immediately, and then the reliability slowly increased to 80% as additional changes were made. Only in the last months of the war was it found that the forward part of the outer hull was failing in flight. Once this was strengthened with a belt of sheet metal, the V-2 achieved essentially 100% reliability.
This entire process was going on while production was ramping up at the underground facility at Mittelwerk. There was pressure from the highest quarters to get the missile fielded and attacks on England underway. Every change resulting from these tests and research meant that the production line at Mittelwerk had to be stopped, and retrofits made to undelivered missiles.
References: 693.
1944 February 29 - Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: GWO. Launch Pad: GWO?. Launch Vehicle: Wasserfall. LV Configuration: Wasserfall 2. FAILURE: Failure. - Test mission Nation: Germany. Agency: Wehrmacht. Apogee: 0 km ( mi). References: 2.
1944 March 8 - Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: GWO. Launch Pad: GWO?. Launch Vehicle: Wasserfall. LV Configuration: Wasserfall 3. - Test mission Nation: Germany. Agency: Wehrmacht. Apogee: 1.00 km (0.60 mi). References: 2.
1944 March 15 - Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. - V-2 problems begin to be understood - but Peenemuende Rocket Team leaders arrested by SS Nation: Germany. The cause of early detonation of the warhead during the engine burn time is understood, but the crashes at the end of the trajectory are still a mystery. Dornberger is ordered to report to Hitler at Berchtesgaden. The call is received at 7 pm in the evening, following a bomb raid and ice storm. Dornberger is told that on the following morning Von Braun, Riedel II, and Groettrup are to be arrested for sabotage of the A4 program. Groettrup selects Dr Steinhoff as his representative. The men are accused of not putting all their energy in development of the A4 as a weapon - instead only using the financing of the Reich to support their private plans for manned spaceflight. Dornberger know he cannot complete the program without these men - Von Braun and Riedel were the key leaders, and Groettrup was head of the electrical systems section. Dornberger finally achieves their release by demonstrating to the SS that the biggest impediment to the program was Hitler's dream that the A4 would never reach London. After a few days in detention, Von Braun was moved to Schwedt, and then freed. The others were allowed out a bit later.
References: 693.
1944 March 16 - - NACA proposes a jet-propelled transonic research airplane. Nation: USA. Spacecraft: XS-1. At a National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) seminar, in Washington, D.C., with Air Force and Navy personnel attending, NACA personnel proposed a jet-propelled transonic research airplane be developed. This proposal ultimately led to the 'X' series research airplane projects.
References: 483.
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