Editing Edwards Air Force Base (section)

====Ground research====
[[File:Rocket sled track.jpg|thumb|left|Lt. Col. [[John Stapp]] riding the [[rocket sled]] ''Gee Whiz'']]

Extensive aviation research was also conducted on the ground at Edwards. Two rocket sled tracks pioneered important developments and research for the Air Force. The first {{convert|2000|ft|adj=on}} track was built by [[Northrop Corporation|Northrop]] in 1944 near what is currently the North Base. Originally intended to help develop a [[V-1 (flying bomb)|V-1]] flying-bomb-style weapon that never left the drawing board, the track found use after the war as a test area for [[V-2 rocket]]s captured from [[Nazi Germany]] in [[Operation Paperclip]]. Later, Lt. Col. [[John Stapp]] appropriated the track for his [[MX981]] project and installed what was believed to be one of the most powerful mechanical braking systems ever constructed. His deceleration tests led the press to nickname him the "fastest man on earth" and the "bravest man in the Air Force".<ref name="HIST"/>

The results from the first track prompted the Air Force to build a second in 1948. Located just south of Rogers Lake, the {{convert|10000|ft|mi km|adj=on}} track was capable of supersonic speeds. Its first project was the development of the [[SM-62 Snark]] [[cruise missile]]. This track was so successful that an extension was constructed, and on 13 May 1959, the full {{convert|20000|ft|mi km|adj=on}} track was opened. After the [[United States Navy|Navy]] had conducted research on the [[UGM-27 Polaris]] [[ballistic missile]], the track was used to develop [[ejection seat]]s that could be used at supersonic speeds. Though this program was a success, a budgetary review concluded that the track was too expensive to maintain, and the track was decommissioned on 24 May 1963. Before it was closed, a trial run set a world speed record of {{Convert|3.3|Mach|}} before the test car broke up. After it closed, the rails were pulled up to help straighten Lancaster Boulevard.<ref name="HIST"/>