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    Wallops Island
    Wallops Island
    Wallops Island
    Ebook236 pages1 hour

    Wallops Island

    By Nan DeVincent-Hayes and Bo Bennett

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    About this ebook

    Located in Accomack County on Virginia's Eastern Shore, Wallops Island was once a primitive swath of land, uncivilized but by the wild ponies and mosquitoes that made its scrub-covered shores their home. But as the centuries passed, the wildness of the island was radically altered by the influx of colonists, then vacationers, and, eventually, some of the brightest scientific minds in the country. The history of Wallops Island has been one of transition. In the colonial period, John Wallop, an industrious man and self-made millionaire, was granted much of the island's acreage by the English Crown for providing assistance to new colonists trying to reach Virginia. In 1889, Wallops Island was bought and converted into a vacation destination for a handful of wealthy families from Pennsylvania, who, in turn, sold the island to the federal government in the 1940s. Once in the hands of NASA the island was transformed into a center for the high-tech development of rockets, missiles, and the means for space travel. From weather balloons and Tiamat missiles to aerodynamics and hurricane research, the Wallops Island Flight Facility and its predecessors have been instrumental in the evolution and success of the American space program.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateSep 18, 2012
    ISBN9781439627761
    Wallops Island
    Author

    Nan DeVincent-Hayes

    In Images of America: Chincoteague and Assateague Islands, authors Nan DeVincent-Hayes and Bo Bennett have compiled an entertaining and educational journey into the past, replete with vintage photographs and postcards from the collections of local "Teaguers" and informative descriptions of life through the years on these small islands. A must-have visual history, this engaging retrospective will surely be a cherished addition to the bookshelves of both visitors and residents alike.

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      Book preview

      Wallops Island - Nan DeVincent-Hayes

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      HISTORY OVERVIEW

      Wallops Island Flight Facility (WFF) has a rich and vivid history, starting with its early days when it was no more than a primitive terra firma sporting overgrowth, one or two decrepit buildings, and hordes of mosquitos. Civilization was unheard of, and yet, this very antediluvian expanse would become home not only to some of the world’s brightest scientists but also a center of sophisticated technology that would one day serve as the originator, progenitor, and prototype for putting men on the moon. From its early years as a flight test facility to its present days as a contender for serving as home to Venture Star, WFF has been the drive behind the development of rockets and launchers, as well as space research, that brought about the likes of the Atlas, the Scout, Mercury, Challenger, and a slew of other space ships that would not be in existence today if it hadn’t been for the Wallops base and the workers who persisted and persevered in finding ways to overcome the problems of space flight.

      TIAMATS. The Tiamat missiles were the first type of rocket to be launched for Langley from WFF. Although officially titled the MX-570, the Tiamat was an air-to-air missile. This particular project set the tone and pace for the Wallops base because, up until this point, a number of obstacles had to be overcome before the first missile could be developed and launched. (Courtesy of Joseph Adams Shortal.)

      HEAT TRANSFER. Between 1945 and 1957, when WFF was under NACA’s reign, the base focused on researching the effects of high temperatures on rockets as they sped through the air. Without overcoming the resistance of heat, rockets couldn’t be launched, and transonic and supersonic flights could not have come to fruition. Likewise, if supersonic speed wasn’t attainable because of the heat transfer problem, then the goal of bringing about sub-orbiting and orbiting piloted capsules would never have come about, leaving America behind in the space race. The diligent engineers at WFF conquered the problem, and we have since bypassed the goals of piloted orbits. (Courtesy of Joseph Adams Shortal.)

      A WEATHER BALLOON. Although the goal of WFF has always been to put humans into space via the development of capsules and through serving as a test base, WFF did shift its emphasis to developing sounding rockets and the creation and testing of weather balloons, though even today it remains the principle facility for testing and managing the implementation of suborbital research programs. Besides sounding rockets and balloon programs, SELVS (Small Expandable Launch Vehicles) launch support earth science studies are also chief concerns of Wallops Flight Facility, along with providing flight services for scientific investigations. WFF also operates a test range and orbital tracking station. In this photo we see a scientific balloon prior to its launch. Compare its size to the figures at ground level. (Courtesy of Joseph Adams Shortal.)

      THE VISITOR CENTER. This collage of the Visitor Center gives only a sense of what’s offered. The center can’t be missed as you drive on Route 175 toward Chincoteague and Assateague, because you pass it on your right and are immediately struck by its rockets erected on launchers in the vertical position, pointing toward the heavens as though they were ready to ignite at a second’s notice. The center contains a movie theater, racks of literature, and an outstanding museum that walks you through the development of the space age from its beginning at WFF to its present day symbols of Challenger, Columbus, and Endeavor, along with its strives for a global space station and the acquisition of Venture Star. From a small, primitive research base, WFF has taken its place as a behemoth in aeronautical research. ABOVE, LEFT: The Visitor Center’s sign. ABOVE, RIGHT: The Apollo project, of which other bases are credited for its development, though WFF served as the leader in its design and creation. BELOW: The X-15 made for the Air Force as it’s displayed in the museum. Notice its size and streamlined shape. (Photos by Bo Bennett.)

      VISITOR CENTER ROCKETS. This is a sampling of the type of rockets one passes en route to Chincoteague. Spectators pull into the visitor’s parking lot of WFF to watch various launches—all of which are open to the public and regularly scheduled on a flight agenda that is online at www.nasa.gov. Not only are these launches free, but they’re heart-thrilling, educational, and awesome to watch. This is one part of the massive base where visitors are allowed to roam unrestricted. All other parts require clearance, registration, and badges for admission to non-classified areas. (Photo courtesy of Bo Bennett.)

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