As the Second World War was ending, the United States began a race with the Soviet Union to capture Germany’s war secrets. The most prized were the V-2 rockets that had caused so much destruction in England and the Channel Ports.
The Army selected engineers from the Schenectady General Electric plant to travel to Europe and interview the captured German scientists and select the papers, drawings and rocket parts to be shipped back to America. Another G.E. team was tasked with finding a secluded location convenient to the GE plant to build a test facility.
“Few of the thousands who pass through Malta every year or even Malta residents themselves, realize the importance that this aging campus had on the Cold War.” says Paul Perreault, former Town of Malta Historian. “The story of the Malta Rocket Test Station has largely been lost to history, though it is a story that deserves telling.”
Local residents long recalled that the rocket tests were so loud, they rattled the dishes in their homes in the surrounding communities.
The story of how and why Luther Forest in Malta was selected to begin America’s space program will be told by Perreault on Tuesday, November 12 at 7 pm at the Brookside Museum, 21 Fairgrounds Avenue, in Ballston Spa, NY.
Perreault will use images and video clips to tell the story of the creation of the facility which was destined to begin America’s space program. Developed almost 75 years ago, remnants of the rocket site still exist today adjacent to the Globalfoundries plant.
This event is sponsored by the Saratoga County History Center. Registration is available at the History Center’s website.
Donations received during registration will be used for SCHC program development
The Saratoga County History Center at Brookside Museum is dedicated to preserving and sharing the diverse histories of Saratoga County.
Read more stories about New York aviation history here.
Read more stories about Malta.
Photo: An engineer watches the first stage of a Vanguard missle engine at Malta Rocket Test Station.
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