The Army's Jupiter nose cone that was recovered undamaged two weeks ago (TIME, May 26) did not slam down through the atmosphere in a crude and simple manner. Last week Cook Electric Co. of Chicago described the Rube Goldberg-type invention that delivered it to the search parties.
When the nose cone hit the atmosphere after its arch through space, its tip got so hot that it glowed like a star. It was, in effect, a man-made meteor that gradually lost speed by air friction. When its speed was low enough (figure secret) to eliminate further heating, a lot of things started happening...