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V-2
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The V-2, or A-4 as it was initially known, was the ultimate development of the "A" series of German rockets. The first static tests of its engine took place in 1940, followed on October 3, 1942, by the first successful launch of the missile itself. Later that evening at dinner, Walter Dornberger said: "We have invaded space with our rocket and for the first time – mark this well – have used space as a bridge between two points on the Earth... This third day of October 1942, is the first of a new era of transportation – that of space travel."
In the wake of an RAF raid on Peenemünde on August 17, 1943, V-2 production was taken away from Dornberger and moved to a massive network of underground tunnels near Nordhausen, an SS facility called the Mittelwerk. Disagreement arose over how to deploy the missile. Some wanted the rocket launched from hardened bunkers along the coast of France; others thought a mobile launching system would be best. In the end, both methods were tried. Massive concrete emplacements were started in France but never completed because of the Allied continual bombing attacks. The Peenemünde engineers had developed a mobile transporter and erector for the V-2, known as the Meillerwagon. It, along with rail transportation, became the standard method of transportation and launch.
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| Specifications | |
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| Length | 14 m |
| Diameter (max.) | 1.65 m |
| Launch mass | 13,000 kg |
| Thrust at liftoff | 245,000 N |
| Burn time | 65 sec |
| Maximum speed | 5,750 km/h |
| Maximum altitude | 96 km |
| Range | 320 km |
The V-2 at White Sands Missile Range
[Note: The following sections are adapted from a fact sheet provided by the US Army White Sands Missile Range]
In the closing days of the World War II, the United States embarked upon its own rocket development program and established White Sands Proving Ground (now White Sands Missile Range) in New Mexico as its principal site for rocket testing and development. To this site, in mid-August 1945, were delivered 300 railroad freight cars of V-2 components captured in the European Theater of Operations. Some of the components and material brought to White Sands included 215 combustion chambers, 180 sets of propellant tanks, 90 tail units, 100 sets of graphite jet vanes, and 200 turbopumps.
The widespread impression that many German missiles were brought to America intact and ready for flight was erroneous. No V-2s were received in flyable condition. The General Electric Company was contracted by the U.S. Army Ordnance Department to assemble, test and fire the V-2s.
U.S. rebuilds German parts
Despite the abundance of V-2 material brought to White Sands certain components such as control compartment hardware were in short supply. For instance, only 50 control gyroscopes had been received from Germany, most of which were in poor condition. Each rocket required two gyroscopes. Another item which was found to be incomplete was a group of 70 electrical distribution panels with many of them missing wiring.
During the later stages of the firing program, General Electric provided gyros, mixer-computers, wiring, servo motors, and propellant piping to replace those German parts missing or which had deteriorated with age.
Major changes in configuration were made on 52% of the V-2s launched from White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), and 71% were above designed weight. Empty weight of the standard V-2 was 8,000 lb which included 2,200 lb of payload – warhead – and the average empty weight of all missiles launched was 9,218 lb, an increase of 19% in terms of payload.
By 1951 all V-2s launched had major contour modifications and carried more than 47% added payload, bringing the maximum loaded weight to 28,400 lb.
Assembling and testing V-2s were tedious jobs. Each rocket required days of preparation. All basic components were individually inspected for performance and condition prior to assembly. Repair and adjustments were made as required, and then they were tested again. Large subassemblies were completely tested before being installed and then the completely assembled missile was given two over-all tests before it left the assembly building.
After the V-2 was assembled and tested, a German-made trailer called the Meilerwagon towed it to the launch pad. An integral lift frame on the Meilerwagon elevated the rocket to a vertical position on a low portable steel "launch table". The table incorporated a blast deflector, a mast for electrical wiring, and fittings for liquid propellant hoses.
At the launching site, one over-all test was made prior to launching day, and the same test was repeated immediately prior to loading the propellant on firing day. No connection could be broken after the final test was made. Following a thorough check of all components, the rocket was fueled with alcohol and liquid oxygen.
V-2 rocket components
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Nose Cone - During World War II, the nose cone held a German warhead containing almost a ton of explosives. At White Sands, the Army invited government agencies and universities to use the nose cone's 20 cubic feet of space for scientific research, up to 2,000 pounds of scientific equipment, such as cameras, sensors, and on-board experiments, were carried aloft on each flight.
Control Section - This section contained gyroscopes for guiding the rocket in flight and the bottles of nitrogen gas that powered them. The gyroscopes produced electrical signals in the form of voltage proportional to the amount of correction needed to maintain a preset trajectory. The corrective signals were transmitted through an integrating computing element to steering vanes in the tail assembly.
Midsection - The propellant used in the V-2 consisted of alcohol and liquid oxygen, propellant tanks and associated valves and piping were located in the rocket's midsection. Glass wool insulated the rocket from the extreme cold of the liquid oxygen.
Thrust Frame - The thrust frame held the propulsion unit, which consisted of a turbopump, steam-generating plant, heat exchanger, combustion unit, and associated piping. The turbopump was powered by steam generated from combining hydrogen peroxide and sodium permanganate, both of which were stored in tanks in this section and forced into the pump by compressed air.
Tail Assembly - The tail served to stabilize flight and steer the rocket, and consisted of the tail faring, four stabilizing fins with steering vanes, vane motors, and antennas.
In the entire experimental program, 68% of the V-2 flights were considered successful. However, much valuable information was gained from flights with known malfunctions and classified as failures.
In all, 67 V-2 rockets were assembled and tested at White Sands between 1946 and 1952, providing the US with valuable experience in the assembly, pre-flight testing, handling, fueling, launching, and tracking of large missiles. The scientific experiments conducted aboard the V-2 yielded significant information about the upper atmosphere, and one series of tests, the "Blossom Project," carried out the first biological experiments in space. Landmark tests included:
- V-2 No. 1: First firing, static test for 57 sec; Mar. 15, 1946
- V-2 No. 2: First flight test, altitude 18,000 ft; Apr. 16, 1946
- V-2 No. 3: First high altitude flight, altitude 70 miles; May 10, 1946
- V-2 No. 9: First separation of nose cone; Jul 30, 1946
- V-2 No. 13: Motion pictures showing Earth's curvature: Oct. 24, 1946
- V-2 No. 19: First auto pilot system used, forerunner of remote controlled rocket; Jan. 23, 1947
- V-2 No. 40: Photographs of 800,000 square miles of Earth's surface; Jul. 26, 1948
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Several offshoot programs developed from the V-2 experimental program. They were the Bumper, Pushover and Sandy.
In late 1946 Army Ordnance started a development program leading to a two-stage rocket test vehicle. A WAC Corporal was mounted on the nose of a V-2 to form the first two-stage missile, known as the Bumper. The first Bumper was launched May 13, 1948.
Operation Pushover concerned the deliberate explosion of a fully tanked V-2 on a dummy shipdeck at White Sands to determine its effect on shipboard launching.
Operation Sandy was the code name for launching a V-2 from the deck of the aircraft carrier Midway. Preliminary tests were made and the missile assembled at White Sands. On Sep. 6, 1947, for the first time, a large rocket was launched from a ship at sea.
Related categories
• ROCKETS, MISSILES, AND LAUNCH VEHICLES
• HISTORY OF ROCKETRY
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