The WAC Corporal was the first successful American sounding rocket to reach significant altitude. The first WAC Corporal, launched in 1944 from White Sands Proving Ground in New Mexico, reached a height of 71,600 meters (235,000 feet). The fin-stabilized rocket was powered by a liquid-propellant engine that burned a self-igniting fuel and oxidizer combination. Use of these propellants eliminated the need for an ignition system. By March 1946, these rockets had attained altitudes of over 72.4 kilometers (45 miles) with a booster. The WAC Corporal was later used as a second stage on a German V-2 rocket. This U.S. program, code-named “Bumper,” tested techniques for ignition and separation of stages at high altitudes. The WAC Corporal was designed in 1944 by the staff of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. The rocket on exhibit is from the California Institute of Technology. Length 4.9 m. (16 ft., 2 in.) as exhibited Diameter 30.5 cm. (12 in.) Fuel Aniline-furfuryl alcohol Oxidizer Red-fuming nitric acid Thrust 680 kg. (1500 lb.) Velocity 4500 km. (2800 mi.) per hr. at burnout Altitude 72 km. (45 mi.) with a 11.3-kilogram (25-lb.) payload Aerobee 150 [Illustration: 22. A booster lifts Aerobee 150 out of its launch rail.] The half-ton Aerobee could carry a 45.4-kilogram (100-pound) payload to an altitude of 120.6 kilometers (75 miles). For many years, the Aerobee was the standard American sounding rocket due to its reliability and relatively low cost. Several versions of the original Aerobee were produced. The Aerobee relied on a short-duration, solid-fuel booster for launching, after which the main-stage, liquid-propellant engine ignited. On display at the NASM is an Aerobee 150, a more sophisticated version of the rocket. An Aerobee 150 can lift a 68.1-kilogram (150-pound) payload to an altitude of 274 kilometers (170 miles). Payloads consisted of a variety of scientific experiments. The Aerobee concept originated early in 1946 when Dr. James Van Allen, then of the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University, suggested that the Office of Naval Research contract for a rocket with these particular capabilities. The Aerojet General Corporation (then Aerojet, Inc.) was awarded the contract, with the Douglas Aircraft Corporation subcontracting for aerodynamic studies on the nose, fins, and tail cone, and for the final assembly of the rocket. The Aerobee 150 is from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Goddard Space Flight Center. Farside [Illustration: 23. Artist’s rendering of four-stage Farside sounding rocket, in launcher below balloon.]