V2 Rocket number 59
V2 Rocket no 59
Description: Post‑war usage at White Sands Proving Ground (1952): After WWII, the United States repurposed captured German V‑2 rockets for atmospheric research.
It carried seven air‑sample bottles in three canisters, conducting upper‑atmosphere sampling for the University of Michigan. The payload was protected in a detachable nosecone, which later deployed for recovery via parachutes. No. 59 reached approximately 122 km (76 miles) in altitude—penetrating the lower edge of space. A JATO booster was intended to eject the nosecone, but even without ignition the payload separated successfully and descended for retrieval
It carried seven air‑sample bottles in three canisters, conducting upper‑atmosphere sampling for the University of Michigan. The payload was protected in a detachable nosecone, which later deployed for recovery via parachutes. No. 59 reached approximately 122 km (76 miles) in altitude—penetrating the lower edge of space. A JATO booster was intended to eject the nosecone, but even without ignition the payload separated successfully and descended for retrieval