V-2 Rocket

One of the stops we made before leaving Alamogordo was the New Mexico Museum of Space History.  It has an extensive collection of rocket engines and missiles on display, in beautiful condition.  What was strange was to see these two rusted metal objects, one which looked like the tail end of a rocket.  Why were there these pieces of wreckage in amongst the other shiny pieces of space hardware? I went over to read the plaque and discovered that this is the remains of a German V-2 Rocket, from WWII.  When the Allies defeated Germany, they gathered up the scientists and rockets and rocket parts, and brought them to the White Sands Proving Grounds where they were test fired. This rocket had been fired, and the remains were left to rust on the firing range for 50 years.  What a brilliant idea to retrieve it and put it on display.