b. Development of the first U. S. inertial guidance system.

C.

First long-range firing of a U. S. ballistic missile (JUPITER C missile fired 3, 000 miles, 20 September 1956).

d. Development and successful recovery of the ablation-type (first recovery of scale model: 7 August 1957; first recovery of full scale cone: 17 May 1958) (Fig. 11).

nose cone

e. First successful firing of a U. S. intermediate range ballistic missile (JUPITER missile 1, 31 May 1957).

f. First successful intercept of an aircraft by a guided missile (27 November 1951).

g. Development and deployment of the first operational air defense guided missile unit (NIKE AJAX, 1953).

h. Highest intercept of a target (100,000 ft., 1958).

i. First intercept of a high altitude, supersonic target.

j. Development of proximity fuzes for guided missiles, and micro-miniaturization of electronic and electro-mechanical devices.

k. Development of a short pulse radar system that can measure altitude and range to an extreme accuracy. Another device has been developed to measure rate of descent with a fine velocitymeasuring accuracy.

2. Space Research (Figs. 12, 13, and 14)

In the pursuit of weapons programs, Ordnance skills have made major contributions to space research programs of national scope. Reliable Ordnance-developed hardware has been applied to non-military space programs with phenomenal success. Outstanding technological achievements in space research include:

a.

First penetration of outer space on 24 February 1949, when a two-stage missile consisting of a German V-2 and a WACCORPORAL was fired at White Sands Missile Range to an altitude of 250 miles.