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In September of 1959, JPL held a press conference to celebrate the opening of its new $3,500,000 hypersonic wind tunnel, the third wind tunnel built at JPL from 1947 to 1959. A JPL engineer is shown positioning a scale model of a missile in the tunnel's 21 x 21 inch test section. The two horizontal stainless steel plates were flexible and could be moved by a system of hydraulic jacks seen above and below, to change the speed of the air flow and other variables. Testing time was to be used equally by Army Ordnance contractors, Air Force contractors and the JPL Aerodynamic Research Section.