19501776 Club
A German V-2 and an American WAC Corporal fly together off a Florida beach
The second stage failed and the missile pitched low, but the range commander called it a complete success.
In 1950, the United States had no proven range for testing long-range missiles over open water. On July 24, a Bumper rocket, a German V-2 first stage bolted to an American WAC Corporal second stage, lifted off Launch Complex 3 at Cape Canaveral. It was the first launch ever flown from the site. The WAC Corporal failed after separation and the missile pitched to only 10 degrees instead of the planned 22. Range officials called the test a complete success anyway, since the tracking and range facilities had worked exactly as designed…
