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WAC Corporal
Sounding rocket / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the ballistic missile developed later, see MGM-5 Corporal.
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]
Quick Facts Function, Manufacturer ...
![]() 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 |
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