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Collection of 47 original 4 x 5 glass plate photographic negatives from the Aerobee A-7 and V-2 No. 40 rocket missions, representing primary photographic records associated with Project RAND's pioneering study into the feasibility of weather reconnaissance from a satellite. Comprising 22 negatives labeled "Aerobee No. A-7" and 25 labeled "V-2 No. 40," all retained in their original printed storage envelopes. The negatives are sequentially numbered, with the Aerobee series comprising Nos. 111–114, 137–142, 166–171, and 194–199, and the V-2 series comprising Nos. 89, 91, 95, 97, 99, 101, 109–110, 116, 119, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130, 148, 151, 154, 157, 160, 177, 179, 182, 185, and 187.
Launched approximately one hour apart from White Sands Proving Ground on July 26, 1948, the Aerobee A-7 and V-2 No. 40 flights produced some of the earliest high-altitude photographic imagery used for scientific meteorological analysis. The photographs from these missions formed the basis of the RAND Corporation's landmark 1951 report, Inquiry into the Feasibility of Weather Reconnaissance from a Satellite Vehicle, which demonstrated that imagery obtained from high-altitude rockets could be used to identify cloud systems, analyze synoptic weather patterns, and assess the practicality of weather observation from space. The report specifically identifies the Aerobee A-7 and V-2 No. 40 missions as the source of the photographs used in the study, and Appendix II lists both missions as providing "Good cloud pictures" with "Analysis attempted," directly corresponding to the numbered negatives offered here.
Overall condition varies. Most of the 47 glass negatives remain intact and are preserved in their original printed envelopes. Seven negatives (Nos. 89, 91, 95, 97, 179, 182, and 185) are chipped or broken, while the balance are generally well-preserved with expected light handling wear.
Accompanied by a photocopy of the RAND Corporation report ‘Inquiry into the Feasibility of Weather Reconnaissance from a Satellite Vehicle’ (April 1951). Preserved together, these surviving negatives constitute an impressive visual record from the formative years of American rocket research and one of the earliest documented investigations into weather observation from space.
