Editing Holloman Air Force Base (section)

===Holloman Air Development Center===
[[File:B-17g-43-38050-359th BS.jpg|thumb|300px|Boeing B-17G-75-BO Fortress AAF Serial No. 42-38050 of the 303d Bombardment Group|alt=]]

The '''Holloman Air Development Center''' became the base operating unit on 10 October 1952, and the {{Convert|3500|ft|abbr=on}} rocket-powered sled was first run on 19 March 1954. On 10 December 1954, Lt Colonel (Dr.) [[John Stapp|John P. Stapp]] rode a Holloman rocket propelled test sled, Sonic Wind No. 1, to a speed of {{convert|632|mph}}. The center was renamed the [[Air Force Missile Development Center]] on 1 September 1957 and inactivated on 1 August 1970.

Additionally, Captain [[Joseph Kittinger|Joseph W. Kittinger, Jr.]], stepped out of an open balloon gondola at {{convert|102,800|ft|km}} on 16 August 1960, in an attempt to evaluate techniques of high altitude bailout. Capt Kittinger's jump lasted 13 minutes, reaching a velocity of {{cvt|614|mph}}. That jump broke four world records: highest open gondola manned balloon flight, highest balloon flight of any kind, highest bailout, and longest free fall.<ref>http://stratocat.com.ar/fichas-e/1960/HMN-19600816.htm Detailed account of Kittinger's jump on Excelsior III balloon mission</ref>

The [[Aero-Medical Field Laboratory]] at Holloman "conducted space flight training with chimpanzees [in] 1961–1962", including [[Ham (chimpanzee)|Ham]] on a suborbital flight launched 31 January 1961, the first great ape in space, and [[Enos (chimpanzee)|Enos]] on a 1961 orbital flight as the third great ape to orbit Earth.