Multiwavelength Astronomy Multimedia


Title

V-2 Experiments

Description

As the Army set to work with V-2 rockets at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, scientific users were invited to fill the space of the 2000-pound warhead with instruments. E.O. Hulburt at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Optics Division jumped at the chance. Between 1946 and 1951, the NRL undertook 80 experiments using V-2 rockets that provided new and valuable information about the nature of Earth's upper atmosphere and ionosphere. The first launch, on October 10, 1946, delivered the first recorded solar spectrum of the Sun from above Earth's atmosphere.

Subject

  • V-2
  • Rocket
  • Launch Vehicle

Credits

Naval Research Laboratory

Type

Photographic

Associated Lesson

X-ray Impact

This material is based upon work supported by NASA under Grant Nos. NNX09AD33G and NNX10AE80G issued through the SMD ROSES 2009 Program.

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