Item 34 of 34 (8450)

Back: GUIDED MISSILE TEST TOWER WITH REDSTONE MISSILE, REDSTONE ARSENAL, HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA
This is the largest static firing test stand for rocket motors in the U. S., and possibly in the world. The huge Army facility, costing $12,000,000. towers 145 feet high-as tall as a 15-story building, and is built of reinforced concrete, with walls 48 inches thick. Static testing of a missile consists in locking the missile into place on the stand and firing it. The missile does not "take off", but as it strains against the mighty grip of the great tower its roaring engine can be studied for performance characteristics as it it were actually in flight.
Source: Anderson News Company, Florence, Ala.
Rights: From the postcard collection of George and Peg Heeschen, The Southpaw, Huntsville, Alabama