The Bumper, also known as Bumper-WAC, was a
sounding rocket derived from the
German V-2 rocket and used by the
United States to gather data from high altitudes. It was one of the first
multistage rockets, using a
WAC Corporal as the second stage.First launched on
May 13,
1948 from
White Sands Missile Range in
New Mexico, the rocket flew at a maximum speed of 2,740 mph at an altitude of 80 miles. The most successful flight of the Bumper, Bumper 5, was launched on
February 24,
1949, also from White Sands. In this test flight, the vehicle reached an altitude of 244 miles at a maximum speed of 5,150 mph. This record held until 1957.
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