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

V-2 Rocket Engine

Photographed by James Hulse, July 24, 2024

1. V-2 Rocket Engine Marker

Inscription. The Vergeltungswaffe 2 or "Vengeance Weapon-2" (V-2) was the world's first long-range guided ballistic missile. The V-2 was used by Nazi Germany near the end of World War II as a terror weapon against London, Antwerp, and other allied targets. After the War, German scientists assisted the U.S. military in developing the V-2 technology to be used for defense and early space exploration. The engine and flight components you see here were used for a research flight and recovered from the White Sands Missile Range.

Length - 46 feet (14 meters)
Weight - 27,600 pounds (12,500 kg)
Thrust - 56,600 lbf (252,000 newtons)
Operational Range - 200 miles (320 km)
Fuel - 75% Ethanol/water and Liquid Oxygen (LOX)

Fun Fact: The German "Vengeance Weapon" programs (V-1 and V-2) cost $3 billion (1944 values) and were more costly than the United States' Manhattan Project that produced the atomic bomb ($1.9 billion).

Captions
Acquired by transfer via LTC Edgar D. Williams, White Sands Missile Range, NM-NMMSH #88.011.002

Erected by New Mexico Museum of Space History.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this

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topic list: Air & Space.

Location. 32° 55.27′ N, 105° 55.274′ 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: X-7A Test Vehicle (here, next to this marker); X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle Mockup (a few steps from this marker); XQ-4A Drone (a few steps from this marker); PTV Parachute Test Vehicle (a few steps from this marker); Lance Missile (a few steps from this marker); Aerobee 150 (a few steps from this

Ruined V-2 Rocket Engine and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, July 24, 2024

2. Ruined V-2 Rocket Engine and Marker

marker); Crawler Transporter Shoe (within shouting distance of this marker); IGOR Intercept Ground Optical Recorder (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Alamogordo.

Also see . . . V-2 rocket. Wikipedia

The V2 (German: Vergeltungswaffe 2, lit. 'Vengeance Weapon 2'), with the technical name Aggregat 4 (A4), was the world's first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was developed during the Second World War in Nazi Germany as a "vengeance weapon" and assigned to attack Allied cities as retaliation for the Allied bombings of German cities. The V2 rocket also became the first artificial object to travel into space by crossing the Kármán line (edge of space) with the vertical launch of MW 18014 on 20 June 1944.

(Submitted on August 11, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

The side view of the V-2 Rocket Engine and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, July 24, 2024

3. The side view of the V-2 Rocket Engine and Marker

Launch of a V2 from White Sands by the US Army image. Click for full size.

Public Domain - US Army, circa 1946/1952

4. Launch of a V2 from White Sands by the US Army

Credits. This page was last revised on August 11, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 11, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 170 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 11, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.