The WAC Corporal, often referred to simply as WAC, holds a significant place in the history of American rocketry. It was the very first sounding rocket to be designed and developed within the United United States, marking a crucial step in the nation's early space exploration efforts. Its operational period spanned from October 1945 to mid-1947, during which it was launched eight times. While the exact meaning behind its name, WAC, remains somewhat
unclear in historical records, its impact as a foundational piece of American rocket technology is well-documented. This rocket laid groundwork for future advancements, demonstrating the capabilities of U.S. engineering in the post-World War II era.
Genesis and Early Development
Studies for the WAC Corporal began in December 1944, emerging as a derivative of the larger Corporal project. It was envisioned as a "smaller brother" to the Corporal, indicating a scaled-down yet technologically significant endeavor. The design and development of the WAC Corporal were a collaborative effort between two prominent entities: the Douglas Aircraft Company and the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory. This partnership brought together industrial manufacturing prowess and advanced scientific research, a common theme in early rocket development.
The U.S. Army Ordnance Department played a pivotal role in funding this program. In 1944, the department decided to finance a rocket program at the California Institute of Technology (CIT), aimed at testing launch procedures and addressing in-flight stability issues. This initiative, known as the Army ORDCIT project (combining "Ordnance" and CIT), ultimately sought to develop a liquid-propellant surface-to-surface missile, which would later materialize as the Corporal missile in the mid-1950s. By late 1944, advancements in liquid propellant technology were sufficient to allow for the creation of a smaller sounding rocket, the WAC Corporal, leveraging the ongoing technological developments.
Design Specifications and Early Flights
The WAC Corporal was a liquid-fueled rocket that utilized fuming nitric acid as its oxidizer and a mixture of aniline and furfuryl alcohol as its propellant. For launch, it employed a solid-fuel booster rocket, providing the initial thrust needed for liftoff. The rocket itself was unguided, meaning it lacked an attitude control system, which some sources suggest might be the origin of its name, "Without Attitude Control." Other theories propose that WAC stood for "Women's Army Corps," the female auxiliary corps of the U.S. Army.
The first unladen test flight of the WAC Corporal took place on September 16, 1945, at the White Sands Missile Range in Las Cruces, New Mexico. This initial flight was a crucial step in validating its design and operational procedures. The unguided WAC had a launch mass of 658 kg, a diameter of 0.31 meters, and a length of 7.34 meters. Its design specifications called for it to carry 11 kilograms of instrumentation to a minimum altitude of 30 kilometers, demonstrating its capability as a scientific sounding rocket.
Reaching for Space and Legacy
In 1946, the WAC Corporal achieved a significant milestone. On May 22, following a V-2 rocket launch from White Sands that reached 111 km on May 10, a WAC Corporal ascended to an altitude of 80 km. This achievement made it the first entirely American-designed rocket to reach what was then considered the boundary of space (80 km). The last standalone launch of the unguided WAC occurred on June 12, 1947.
Beyond its individual flights, the WAC Corporal played a vital role in the experimental Bumper program. Starting in 1949, it was utilized as the second stage of the Bumper rocket, which combined a V-2 as the first stage with a WAC Corporal as the second. On February 24, 1949, a Bumper rocket accelerated to 8,288 km/h, becoming the first flight to exceed Mach 5 and the world's first two-stage rocket. This particular flight reached an altitude of over 400 km. Scientists were surprised when fragments of the WAC Corporal second stage were later found in the New Mexico desert near the launch site, highlighting the extreme forces involved in such high-speed, high-altitude flights. The WAC Corporal was eventually superseded by the more capable Aerobee rocket.
