 JPL director Frank Malina with a WAC Corporal rocket (minus the solid-fuel boosters) | |
| Function | Sounding rocket |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Douglas Aircraft Corporation, JPL, Aerojet |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Size | |
| Height | 7.37 m (24.2 ft) |
| Diameter | 30 cm (12 in) |
| Stages | 1 |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Retired |
| Launch sites | White Sands Missile Range, Cape Canaveral |
| First flight | October 11, 1945 |
| Last flight | July 29, 1950 |
| Booster stage – Tiny Tim | |
| Gross mass | 344.4 kg (759 lb) |
| Propellant mass | 67.4 kg (149 lb) |
| Maximum thrust | 220 kN (49,000 lbf) |
| Burn time | .6 seconds |
| Propellant | solid |
| Sustainer stage – WAC Corporal | |
| Empty mass | 134.6 kg (297 lb) |
| Gross mass | 313.3 kg (691 lb) |
| Powered by | Aerojet 38ALDW-1500 |
| Maximum thrust | 6.7 kN (1,500 lbf) |
| Burn time | 47 seconds |
| Propellant | RFNA + furfuryl alcohol |
The WAC Corporal was the first sounding rocket developed in the United States and the first vehicle to achieve hypersonic speeds.[1] It was an offshoot of the Corporal program, that was started by a partnership between the United States Army Ordnance Corps and the California Institute of Technology (named "ORDCIT") in June 1944 with the ultimate goal of developing a military ballistic missile.[2]
- ^ "NASA Sounding Rockets, 1958-1968: A Historical Summary, Chapter 2". NASA. 1971.
- ^ Bragg 1961, p. 7.