AstronomyPicture of the Day—20181126

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2018 November 26

TheFirst Rocket Launch from Cape Canaveral

Credit:NASA

Explanation:A new chapter in space flight began in 1950 with the launch of the first rocketfrom Cape Canaveral, Florida: the Bumper V-2. Featured here, the Bumper V-2 wasan ambitious two-stage rocket program that topped a V-2 missile base with a WACCorporal rocket. The upper stage was able to reach then-record altitudes ofalmost 400 kilometers, about the height of the modern International SpaceStation. Launched under the direction of the General Electric Company, theBumper V-2 was used primarily for testing rocket systems and for research onthe upper atmosphere. Bumper V-2 rockets carried small payloads that allowedthem to measure attributes including air temperature and cosmic ray impacts.Seven years later, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I and Sputnik II, thefirst satellites into Earth orbit. In response in 1958, 60 years ago today, theUSA created NASA.