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dsc00188.jpg

An older version of the sign next to the V-1. It was replaced sometime around 2005.

It reads


German V-1

First test-fired in December, 1941, the German-built V-1 was a winged subsonic missile. The British nicknamed it the "Buzz Bomb" because of the unusual noise produced by its aero-pulse jet engine. Beginning in June, 1944, more than 20,000 V-1s were launched against England and Allied-held targets in Europe. Many V-1s failed to reach their intended target because of their slow speed and less-than-accurate guidance system. Launched from a ramp and directed to its target by a pre-set guidance system, the V-1 carried 901.6 kg (1,988 lbs) of explosives consisting of a mixture of TNT and ammonium nitrate (Amatol). In the late 1940s, captured V-1 missiles were used by the U.S. Air Force and Navy for testing at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico.

Length: 27.1 ft (8.26 m)
Diameter: 2.75 ft (0.838 m)
Weight: 4,858 lbs (21,620N)
Thrust: 1,100 lbs (4,900N)
Velocity: 350 mph (560 km/hr)
Range: 150-230 mi (240-370 km)

Contractors: The Boeing Company


Note that the photo on the sign depicts a JB-2 Loon, the American version of the V-1. Even without the United States Air Force roundel on the fuselage, the JB-2 an be easily distinguished from the V-1 by the shape of the forward pulse jet support fairing: the leading and trailing edges of the V-1 fairing were parallel, both swept back, while the leading edge of the JB-2's fairing was nearly vertical and its trailing edge swept back at a steep angle.

The sign identified the contractor as "The Boeing Company," which might lead one to believe that this is a JB-2; however, the Loon's contractor was actually the Ford Motor Company.

 
Sign accompanying the V-1 at U.S. Space and Rocket Center
Time picture taken Sat Jul 27 09:24:15 2002
Location picture taken Rocket Park
U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Huntsville, AL
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