Chronology - Quarter 3 1950

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Previous Home Next 1950 July - Launch Vehicle: Navaho. Navaho specification finalized. Nation: USA. Program: Navaho. The missile, now designated WS-104A by the USAF, was to deliver a 3150-kg warhead with a CEP of 450 m over a range of 10,200 km while cruising at Mach 3 at over 18 km altitude. The final missile would be developed in a three-phase program: Phase 1, using the reusable X-10 drone, would test the aerodynamics, structural concepts, autopilot, and inertial navigation system for the cruise missile using turbojet engines in an aluminum structure to achieve speeds of up to Mach 2. In Phase 2, the G-26 test vehicle would be a 2/3 scale version of the final version, testing the vertical launch booster, and a steel-structure ramjet-powered cruise vehicle that would reach Mach 2.75 and a range of 2300 km. Phase 3 would fly the G-38, the full-sized prototype for the operational system. The payload was sized to match the 20-kiloton W-4 nuclear warhead, 3150 kg in mass, 1.5 m in diameter and 2.3 m long. References: 221. 1950 July 10 - Launch Vehicle: Redstone. Hermes production version studied. Nation: USA. Office, Chief of Ordnance directed that the Ordnance Guided Missile Center conduct a preliminary study of the technical requirements and possibilities of developing a 500-mile tactical missile that would be used principally in providing support for the operations of the Army Field Forces. 1950 July 11 - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Corporal. Model: Corporal E. LV Configuration: Corporal E 5E. Test mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA OR. Apogee: 50 km (31 mi). References: 2. 1950 July 18 - Launch Site: Wallops Island. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: HVAR. Model: HVAR FFAR. F25 model test flight Nation: USA. Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi). References: 2. 1950 July 19 - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. LV Configuration: V-2 Stage 1/ WAC-Corporal Stage 2. First attempted launch from Cape Canaveral. Nation: USA. Program: Bumper. Payload: WAC-Corporal. Class: Technology. Pad abort on 19 July of Bumper No. 8, a German V-2 with a 320 kg Army-JPL Wac Corporal. Launch scrubbed first due to emergency landing of aircraft in the range; second attempt, no lift, main chamber did not ignite. References: 47. 1950 July 24 - 14:29 GMT - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC3. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. Model: Bumper-WAC. LV Configuration: Bumper-WAC Bumper 8. FAILURE: Failure. Test mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA/GE. Apogee: 20 km (12 mi). Bumper No. 8, a German V-2 with a 320 kg Army-JPL Wac Corporal, was fired from the Long-Range Proving Ground at Cape Canaveral at a very low angle of attack. The first-stage V-2 climbed 16 km before it exploded. The second-stage Corporal separated successfully, however, and traveled another 24 km. This was the first missile launch from Cape Canaveral. References: 2. 1950 July 29 - 11:25 GMT - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC3. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. Model: Bumper-WAC. LV Configuration: Bumper-WAC Bumper 7. Test mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA/GE. Apogee: 50 km (31 mi). Bumper No. 7 was the second missile launch from Cape Canaveral. This was to be a maximum range test of a two-stage vehicle, to study the problems in staging. The launch was delayed because of moisture in the vehicle. But when finally launched, the WAC achieved the highest sustained speed in the atmosphere to that date (Mach 9/2500 m/s) and 35.2 km altitude before impacting 305 km downrange. References: 2. 1950 August 1 - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Patrick AFB named. Nation: USA. Patrick Air Force Base, administrative headquarters of the AFMTC at Cape Canaveral, offiically named after Gen. Mason M. Patrick. References: 17. 1950 August - Launch Vehicle: Navaho. Model: Navaho G-26. Air-launched Navaho dropped Nation: USA. Program: Navaho. All work on the air-launched versions of Navaho was stopped. North American was to concentrate on rocket-boosted missiles. References: 44. 1950 August 2 - Launch Site: Camp de Suippes. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Veronique. Model: Veronique R. LV Configuration: Veronique R R1. FAILURE: Failure. Test mission Nation: France. Agency: FR. Apogee: 2.00 km (1.20 mi). References: 2. 1950 August 4 - Launch Site: Camp de Suippes. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Veronique. Model: Veronique R. LV Configuration: Veronique R R2. Test mission Nation: France. Agency: FR. Apogee: 0 km ( mi). References: 2. 1950 August 7 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Camp Cooke reactivated Nation: USA. Camp Cooke reactivated and used during the Korean War as an armored and infantry training site. References: 88. 1950 August 9 - XS-1 Flight 139 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 2 flight 58. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Griffith. NACA flight 38. For pressure distribution and stability and control data. Check of stabilizer effectiveness. Mach 0.98. References: 49, 97. 1950 August 11 - XS-1 Flight 140 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 2 flight 59. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Griffith. NACA flight 39. For pressure distribution and stability and control data. Check of stabilizer effectiveness. References: 49, 97. 1950 August 13 - Launch Vehicle: G-4. German assistance to Soviet rocketry to be ended. Nation: USSR. Decree 3456-1446 'On termination or the work of German scientists in the Soviet missile program.' was issued. References: 474. 1950 August 17 - 15:45 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC35. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Aerobee. Model: Aerobee RTV-N-10. LV Configuration: Aerobee RTV-N-10 A18. Mass spectrometer Aeronomy mission Nation: USA. Agency: APL. Apogee: 101 km (62 mi). Composition research. Launched at 0845 local time. Reached 101.4 km. References: 2. 1950 August 24 - Launch Site: Wallops Island. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: HVAR. D28 model test flight Nation: USA. Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi). References: 2. 1950 August 31 - 17:09 GMT - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. LV Configuration: V-2 51. Blossom IVG Ionosphere-solar/Biological mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA/ARDC. Apogee: 137 km (85 mi). Launched 10:09 local time. Reached 136.8 km. Carried Ionosphere, meteorites, sky brightness, density, biological experiments for Air Research and Development Command. Last of five Aeromedical Laboratory experiments (first four known as Albert series), it carried a nonanesthetized mouse, photographed by a camera, which survived the impact. References: 2. 1950 September 11 - Launch Vehicle: Redstone. Hermes work transferred from General Electric to Von Braun team. Nation: USA. Ordnance Department directed that the Hermes contract with General Electric Company be amended to transfer responsibility for the Hermes C1 project to the Ordnance Guided Missile Center. 1950 September 14 - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: Hermes. Model: Hermes A-1. LV Configuration: Hermes A-1 2. FAILURE: Failure. Test mission Nation: USA. Agency: USA. Apogee: 0 km ( mi). References: 2. 1950 September 15 - Launch Site: Wallops Island. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: HVAR. D27 Model test flight Nation: USA. Agency: NACA. Apogee: 5.00 km (3.10 mi). References: 2. 1950 September 21 - XS-1 Flight 141 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 2 flight 60. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Griffith. NACA flight 40. For pressure distribution and stability and control data. Check of stabilizer effectiveness. Also drag investigation. Pull-ups. Mach 0.90. References: 49, 97. Previous Home Next Contact us with any corrections, additions, or comments. Conditions for use of drawings, pictures, or other materials from this site.. To contact astronauts or cosmonauts. © Mark Wade, 1997 - 2008 except where otherwise noted.