Today's APOD: Bumper V2
 

Today's NASA Astronomy Picture Of the Day is the Bumper V2, one that I had not heard of before:

A new chapter in space flight began this week in 1950 July with the launch of the first rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida: the Bumper V-2. Shown above, the Bumper V-2 was an ambitious two-stage rocket program that topped a V-2 missile base with a WAC Corporal rocket. The upper stage was able to reach then-record altitudes of almost 400 kilometers, higher than even Space Shuttles once flew. Launched under the direction of the General Electric Company, the Bumper V-2 was used primarily for testing rocket systems and for research on the upper atmosphere. Bumper V-2 rockets carried small payloads that allowed them to measure attributes including air temperature and cosmic ray impacts. Seven years later, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I and Sputnik II, the first satellites into Earth orbit. In response in 1958, the US created NASA.

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150719.html

Could be a scale version in my future ;)

Here's mine based on the older Estes BT-80 V-2.

This was round B-8.

Round B-8 was the first rocket launched from Cape Canaveral.

I built this about 13 years ago. It's got probably 10 flights on it.

The drawing should help if you want to reproduce it.

Bumper V2/WAC Corporal Photo
 

Bumper WAC set several records, height, speed.

Very interesting rocket.

Here is another Jpeg drawing that might help with scale dimensions.

Designed a Stomp Rocket 1:32 scale version back in 2013. Check out the cardstock rocket section-uploaded a free download of the B-8.

Mike

Australia WRESAT
 

Hi Simon,

Not sure if you're interested, created a stomp rocket version of the WRESAT. If I can find the file, will add it to the Cardstock section...

Mike

Hi Gordon,
That looks great!
I was thinking along the same lines to modify an Estes kit, tho I was thinking also to make it a working two stager, maybe to have a 13mm or MMX motor in the WAC Corporal?. Not sure if this is feasable though, just daydreaming at this stage!
Thanks for the drawings too, will be very helpful.
Cheers,
Simon

Hi Mike,
I have to admit I had to google what a stomp rocket was! :chuckle:
I think the drawings and photo's above from yourself and Gordon should be plenty enough for me to work from modifying an estes kit.
I notice you have a separate thread for the stomp version.
Cheers!

Staged Bumper V-2s have been very common at the previous WMSCs. It is one of the few prototypes that can meet dimension requirements and still be competitive. See the FAI Sporting Code for more details.

That's one of the most detailed drawings of the Bumper I've seen. Do you remember what the source was?

One thing that is missing from it are the two spin motors on the WAC. Those same spin motors were the ones that were later used on the Honest John.

Greg

A BT-5 on top of the latest 2.6" BT-80 Estes V-2 is pretty darn close to being correct.

Not perfect but close enough that you could only tell the difference with a caliper.

The longer PNC-5 ogive nose cone is also pretty darn close.

Now you just have to do it! ;)

Cheers again.
Yeah I crunched the numbers and for the BT-80 it works out to 12.2mm for the WAC.
Shame the V2 isn't based on 3" tube like the Big Daddy, as the BT-5 would be dang near perfect (14.0mm) oh well, no one will notice anyway!