The very first launch from Cape Canaveral was on July 24, 1950. It was a V2 rocket with a United States built Army whack corporal second stage. They'd been shooting a lot of the V2s out in Mexico. And by the time they moved that program to the Cape to do that, this staging capability or demonstrate it had not yet been developed. So they attempted to launch the thing and after it got to 50,000 feet or something like that, as I recall reading the story later, the staging didn't really occur, but they reached a very high altitude. That's what I witnessed right here off of Cape Canaveral, Florida, the very first launch.
On the eve of the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo Moon launch/landing, I invite you to come hear my rocket scientist father (G.A. "Jim" Ogle) re-tell his experience on User Defenders: Community (https://community.userdefenders.com) of the events that took place the day of the launch on July 16, 1969, leading into the unforgettable and awe-inspiring day of July 20, 1969 when the U.S. achieved the unimaginable feat of landing the first humans on the moon. He will also answer your questions live!
Check out the show notes at https://userdefenders.com/rocketman which includes a compelling slideshow of my Dad from childhood (including accident photos) through to his exciting career in the space industry, Eli Jorgensen's superhero art, a timeline of my Dad's career accomplishments, and much more!
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