February 24th, 1949 - 252 Miles Into Space

On this date - February 24th, 1949 - a V-2 rocket soared upward at 5,100 miles per hour and set a new record at 252 miles above the earth's surface

At 3.14 p.m. on February 24, 1949, this two stage Bumper rocket, a V-2 with a smaller WAC-Corporal in its nose, attained a speed of 5,100 miles an hour and an altitude of 252 miles. For the first time in history a man-made object had entered empty space.

from "Worlds in Space" by Martin Caidin, 1954