“ V-2 ROCKET ASSEMBLING AND LAUNCHING ” 1947 WAR DEPARTMENT FILM BULLETIN WHITE SANDS N.M. 25354

[Music] [Music] [Music] White Sands New Mexico a five thousand square mile tract of barons sun-baked wasteland 60 miles to the north of El Paso Texas lost in the vastness of the desert is a clump of low-lying buildings where the United States Army Ordnance Department is conducting a research program for long-range rockets and guided missiles in one of these buildings the once dreaded German v2 rocket is assembled and prepared for launching by ordnance man no longer a weapon of war the v2 is doing an important post-war job in cosmic research the missiles which rain death and destruction on the English countryside are sent 100 miles into the upper atmosphere at fight sands farther than any human can penetrate instruments record data on cosmic radiation sky brightness direction and speed of wind and many other aspects of high-altitude research here is the assembly line [Music] with the exception of special attachments that are manufactured in this country the entire missile is constructed from parts made by the germans before VE day every detail of the nazis most closely guarded secret weapon is known to american technicians glass wool insulation prevents the evaporation of fuel from the center section with insulation in place a tank for alcohol is lowered into the center shell to the rear of the alcohol tank is a tank which will hold liquid oxygen the supply line which will carry alcohol to the rocket motor runs through the center of the oxygen tank the alcohol supply connection is completed and the oxygen tank is moved into position with the fuel tank secure the center section skins are fitted [Music] a metal fairing joins the halves of the shell as a further precaution against evaporation of fuel the ends of the shell are packed with glass wool and metal bulkheads are installed to complete the Assembly of the center section this section is the basic component of the missile other sections will be attached to it as they are completed meanwhile the propulsion unit is being assembled its principal part is the welded pressed steel combustion chamber preformed fuel lines are fitted to the combustion chamber liquid oxygen and alcohol are drawn from the fuel tanks and forced into the combustion chamber by a centrifugal pump the turbine of the fuel pump is driven by steam generated by the violent reaction of hydrogen peroxide and sodium permanganate when the propulsion unit has been fully assembled and inspected it is placed on an assembly jig and fitted to the center section of the missile specially constructed frames which roll on tracks aid in the assembly inside the tail housing electrical wiring for the rudder mechanism has been installed now with the propulsion unit secured to the center section the tail housing is pushed into position the propulsion unit of the v2 rocket burns a mixture of liquid oxygen and alcohol these fuels are forced into the combustion chamber through a bank of 18 jets on the thrust ring at the base of the tail unit are four brackets to which carbon vanes will be attached these vanes controlled by an automatic pilot direct the flow of gases from the venturi and steer the rocket during the burning period they are attached after the missile has been erected for launching to prevent breakage and handling the antennas for radio devices that relay high-altitude data to ground stations are located at the bases of two of the fins while on the other fins there are antennas for an emergency fuel cutoff mechanism instruments replace the explosives in the b-2 warhead they are designed especially for each missile by the agency for whom the rocket is fired most of the recording instruments and telemeter ring devices are placed in the warhead although some go into the control compartment between the warhead and the fuel tanks which also contains the electrical controls that guide the rocket when the missile is completely assembled it is weighed and its center of gravity is determined without fuel the rocket weighs 5 ton the addition of nine tons of alcohol and liquid oxygen brings the gross takeoff weight to approximately 14 ton [Music] when the rocket is ready to be taken to the firing range it is placed on a special vehicle called the Milo wagon designed for carrying and erecting the missile [Music] extreme care is taken in transporting the missile from the assembly area to the firing range the delicate control mechanism of the rocket is very easily damaged [Music] a maximum speed of 20 miles an hour is maintained on the five-mile trip [Music] trailers carrying equipment used by the ground launching crew follow the rocket [Music] the men of the ground crew are soldiers from the first anti-aircraft guided missiles batagor [Music] a launching platform is brought into position to be engaged to the Milo wagon retaining clamps which hold the missile to the lifting frame are checked and mechanical jacks are employed to level the launching platform a wooden working stage which will be removed before launching is placed over the blast deflector before erecting the rocket the missile is ready to be raised to a vertical position hydraulic rams on the my leg in the set in operation [Music] the missile is not anchored to the platform in any way therefore care must be taken to seat the rocket squarely [Music] [Music] with the rocket firmly seated the retaining clamps on the lifting frame are released and the frame is lower while the v2 is being erected on its platform technicians are busy completing and testing the electrical control circuits [Music] power for energizing the control system is carried to the missile through a ground connecting cable masts two cables are attached to the rocket by magnetic plugs which are released during the preliminary braiding stage the firing asmath of the rocket is carefully set Engineers use surveyors transits to ensure that the rocket is vertical the Rockets weight and it's low center of gravity make the missile capable of standing in winds up to 50 miles an hour preparations are made for final pre-launching tests a trailing radio antenna is arranged in a pullout box to ensure that it will not be damaged during the take-off to facilitate fueling and checking of the missile a specially designed gantry crane is wheeled in on tracks working platforms on the columns of the crane are lowered into position on either side of the missile last-minute adjustments are made on the data recording devices which the missile will carry the carbon vanes which will guide the rocket during the braiding period are attached to their bracket the last operation in the preparation of the rocket for firing is the loading of fuel first for tons of grain alcohol are pumped into the upper tank in the 62nd burning period 9 tons of fuel will be consumed [Music] when alcohol fueling has been completed approximately five tons of liquid oxygen are pumped into the lower tank an overflow pipe allows air and gaseous oxygen to escape during the filling operation 380 pounds of hydrogen peroxide and 30 pounds of sodium permanganate are placed in the steam turbine pumping unit which will operate the missiles fuel pumps after fueling the gyro-stabilized steering controls are given a final test the pyrotechnic device which will ignite the propulsion unit is set in place [Music] the men who will launch the rocket report to the chief proof opposite the gantry crane is withdrawn final weather and wind velocity checks are made over a radius of 17 miles field stations are elated radar devices are warmed up and adjusted special cameras are ready hundreds of electrical control cables extend from the missile to a stoutly constructed block house roofed with 27 feet of reinforced concrete the block house will protect the launching crew in the event of a misfire or explosion time is growing short control is assumed by the launching crew inside the block house a carefully planned schedule is followed the chief proof officer is in constant contact with all field stations by a telephone [Music] the Commandant of the proving ground makes a final check on the preparations for launching three minutes before launching marked by a flare from a very pistol [Music] two minutes before launching one minute [Music] 20 seconds 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 rock it away now radar tracking devices swing into operation four seconds have elapsed the rocket is now one mile up it sound is still deafening to the year telescopic cameras follow the course of the missile sixty seconds have elapsed the rocket is now 20 miles up and traveling at 3000 miles an hour [Music] automatic recorders plot signals from the rocket three minutes and 45 seconds of elapsed the missile has reached its highest point 100 miles above the earth more than ten times higher than any airplane has ever flown radar technicians forward information to the blockhouse a forecast is made of the location of the point of impact the approximate location of the missiles impact is given to liaison pilots who will search for the Fallen rocket [Music] [Applause] [Music] and observers sites fragments of the missile [Music] he alleged the ground recovery party and arranges a rendezvous [Music] the location is plotted on a map and grid coordinates are transmitted the ground and air parties meet the air party leads the way to the record [Music] under normal circumstances parts of the rocket are spread over a wide area careful search is made for all recording instruments designed to withstand the shock of impact [Music] every part of the missile which can be located is carried back to the proving ground laboratories to be studied and analyzed after each launching a conference of all supervisory personnel is held to discuss the performance of the missile the technicians in charge of radar and camera stations give a summary of their phase of the operation in formal reports given to the chief proof officer by the men in charge of the collection of data or the fabrication of the missile make it possible for him to correct and improve technique in later operations the Ordnance Department by using the v2 as a test vehicle gains valuable information on the characteristics and performance of guided missiles and their controls participation in the Ordnance Department's v2 program by other war and Navy Department technical agencies and scientific institutions make the experiments performed at the White Sands proving ground much more than routine ordnance research out of the vastness of the New Mexico desert may come the miracle of tomorrow's science [Music] [Music]

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Id: amL3CnZNCb0

Length: 19min 47sec (1187 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 28 2022