Alamogordo in Otero County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)

X-8C Aerobee

Photographed by James Hulse, July 24, 2024

1. X-8C Aerobee Marker

Inscription. Originally designated the RTV-A-1C ("Research Test Vehicle") by the U.S. Air Force, the X-8C received its new designation in 1955 to designate its position in the Air Force's and Navy's experimental ("X series") rockets and planes. The X-8C was a single-stage, unguided, spin-stabilized, liquid-propellant sounding rocket used for high altitude atmospheric sampling and research. In total, more than 800 examples of the first Aerobee versions (Basic Aerobee, Aerobee-Hi, and Aerobee 150) were built and flown by the U.S. military and NASA between 1947 and 1985.

Manufacturer - Aerojet General
Length - 20 feet, 2 inches (6.14 meters)
Max Speed - 3,070 miles per hour (4,940 km/h)
Max Altitude - 396,000 feet (120,700 meters)

Fun Fact: On 20 September 1951, one of the Aerobees flew to 236,000 feet (71,930 m) and was the first rocket to successfully launch monkeys and mice and return them safely to Earth.

Captions
Courtesy of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH-NMMSH #IL062.001

Erected by New Mexico Museum of Space History.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic

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list: Air & Space. A significant historical date for this entry is September 20, 1951.

Location. 32° 55.272′ N, 105° 55.252′ W. Marker is in Alamogordo, New Mexico, in Otero County. It is on State Route 2001 0.4 miles east of N Scenic Drive. The marker is located on the grounds of the New Mexico Museum of Space History. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3198 State Rte 2001, Alamogordo NM 88310, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in New Mexico’s Pecos Valley. It is also in the American Southwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Comanchería,

and the Republic of Texas.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: H-1 Rocket Engine (a few steps from this marker); F-117A "Nighthawk" Ingress/Egress Trainer (a few steps from this marker); Thor Engine with Cradle/Transporter (a few steps from this marker); Apollo Command Module Boilerplate S/N 1207 (a few steps from this marker); X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle Mockup

The X-8C Aerobee rocket and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, July 24, 2024

2. The X-8C Aerobee rocket and Marker

(a few steps from this marker); Crawler Transporter Shoe (within shouting distance of this marker); X-7A Test Vehicle (within shouting distance of this marker); V-2 Rocket Engine (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Alamogordo.

Also see . . . Aerojet General X-8. Wikipedia (Submitted on August 9, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

The view of the X-8C Aerobee rocket and Marker at the museum entrance image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, July 24, 2024

3. The view of the X-8C Aerobee rocket and Marker at the museum entrance

Credits. This page was last revised on August 11, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 8, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 169 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 9, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.