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On February 24, 1949 a high altitude test vehicle called Bumper WAC was launched from White Sands Proving Ground, reaching a record altitude of 250 miles -- the "first recorded man-made object to reach extraterrestrial space." Its first stage was a V-2 (German A-4) rocket, the warhead replaced by a launching compartment. The above photo shows the second stage, a modified WAC Corporal sounding rocket, mounted in the nose cone.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory was responsible for design study, development and testing of the Bumper WAC, in cooperation with General Electric and Douglas Aircraft, for the Army Ordnance Department.

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