A-4/V-2 Display - WSMR, New Mexico
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   The White Sands Missile Range V-2 rocket has been on display at the WSMR since late 1940s, early 1950s. It is one of the 60-70 V-2's assembled for testing at White Sands Proving Grounds after the war. Until September 2002, the rocket stood outside in its own landscaped garden, about 75 meters from the other missiles and the museum. The sun, rain, sand storms, etc. over those years caused it to deteriorate significantly. It was removed from its pedestal on September 12, 2002, and taken to the laboratories of the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson, Kansas for a complete refurbishment.
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   The rocket returned in 2004 and is on permanent display in a building located at the edge of the Missile Park at the White Sands Missile Range Museum. Unlike the Missile Park, this building is only open during the hours the Museum is open. The rocket's paint scheme was changed from white and black to yellow and black to match the color of the first V-2s fired from White Sands Proving Ground in 1946. Photos below courtesy Rod Givens and Bill Colburn.

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   The photos below show the removal of the WSMR V-2 in 2002. The rocket was loaded and transported to the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center restoration facility. It underwent an 18-month restoration and was returned for display at White Sands after completion.

   The Cosmosphere Restoration Lab near the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center conducted an extensive restoration on the V-2 rocket for the White Sands Missile Range in White Sands, New Mexico.

   This rocket is one of just a handful of complete, intact V-2s left in existence and is the fourth V-2 restoration conducted by the Cosmosphere in the last decade. It was quite a job - notice the concrete poured in the base of the rocket! Luckily, White Sands had another existing engine, however, completion of the project required the fabrication of many new parts. Photos below courtesy Rod Givens.

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Photos below show the WSMR V-2 in its previous location.
The rocket stood sentinel outside the White Sands Missile Range Museum and Missile Park for many years.

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