posted 12-01-2024 08:46 AM               

Space Cover 782: Bumper - The World's First Two-Stage Rocket

Bumper, or officially known as RTV-G-4, is familiar to us space cadets because Bumper-8 was the first rocket launched from the Eastern Test Range and what would become Cape Canaveral. But Bumper has a larger significance in the world of rocketry in the United States.

The Bumper program came out of the US Army testing of captured V-2 missiles. With the help of the German rocket engineers – the often used term "rocket scientist" is incorrect as engineers design and build rockets whereas scientists design and build payloads - over 60 V-2 missiles were tested at White Sands Proving Grounds in New Mexico. The Bumper program was a follow-on program in an effort to investigate the launching of a two-stage missile including the study of the separation of the stages at high velocity.

Bumper consisted of a V-2 first stage and a WAC Corporal second stage. With a total burn time of almost 2 minutes new altitude and velocity records were established. The military benefit of a two-stage missile would of course be larger payloads being carried further distances.

A total of eight Bumper launches were conducted between May 1948 and July 1950 with six being conducted from White Sands and the final two from Cape Canaveral. Unfortunately for us collectors no covers exist for any of the Bumper launches. We have to settle for anniversary covers. While a number of covers exist for Bumper-8 anniversaries because of it being the first launch from the Cape, not many exist for the other Bumper launches. The above cover commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Bumper-1 launch. An historical launch which certainly deserves to be commemorated!

posted 12-01-2024 10:22 AM               

And, although not a launch cover, there are a number of different cacheted covers for the 5th November 1948 Fort Bliss Centennial 3c FDC stamp issue postmarked El Paso that reference the 1st November launch of Bumper-4.

A further point of interest regarding the V2 Bumper-WAC flights is that although the first six in New Mexico were designed as very high altitude flights, the two from the newly constituted Eastern Test Range at Cape Canaveral in 1950 were both deliberately fired at a low angle, achieving a mere 16km in altitude over a considerable flight range.

posted 12-01-2024 01:40 PM               

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Originally posted by Axman:
I am always on the lookout for nicely produced Bumper anniversary covers, but there are sadly few to be found.

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