Bumper (rocket)

Bumper (rocket)

The Bumper was a type of rocket built by the United States. It was conceived in July 1946 by Colonel Holger N. Toftoy as a combination of the V-2 rocket and WAC Corporal sounding rocket. The missile program was inaugurated on June 20, 1947 to:

• investigate launching techniques for a two-stage missile and separation of the two stages at high velocity,
• conduct limited investigation of high-speed high-altitude phenomena, and
• attain velocities and altitudes higher than ever reached.

Over-all responsibility for the Bumper program was given to the General Electric Company and was included in the Hermes project. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory was assigned responsibility for the theoretical investigations required, design of the second stage, and basic design of the separation system. The Douglas Aircraft Company was assigned responsibility for fabrication of the second stage, and detail design and fabrication of the special V-2 rocket parts required. The program was officially concluded in July 1950 after 8 launches.

Six Bumper launches, as well as other V-2 test launches, were from White Sands Proving Grounds. In 1949, the Joint Long Range Proving Ground was established at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on the east coast of Florida. The July 24, 1950 Bumper 8 launch became the first of hundreds of launches from "the Cape."