Rocket sleds were used extensively early in the
Cold War to accelerate equipment considered too experimental (hazardous) for testing directly in piloted aircraft. The equipment to be tested under high acceleration or high airspeed conditions was installed along with appropriate
instrumentation, data recording and
telemetry equipment on the sled. The sled was then accelerated according to the experiment's design requirements for data collection along a length of isolated, precisely level and straight test track. Testing
ejection seat systems and technology prior to their use in experimental or operational aircraft was a common application of the rocket sled at
Holloman Air Force Base. Perhaps the most famous, the tracks at
Edwards Air Force Base were used to test missiles, supersonic ejection seats, aircraft shapes and the effects of acceleration and deceleration on humans. The rocket sled track at Edwards Air Force Base was dismantled and used to extend the track at Holloman Air Force Base, taking it to almost 10 miles (16 km) in length. Unmanned rocket sleds continue to be used to test missile components without requiring costly live missile launches. A
world speed record of Mach 8.5 (6,416 mph / 10,325 km/h) was achieved by a four-stage rocket sled at Holloman Air Force Base on April 30, 2003, the highest speed ever attained by a land vehicle.
Murphy's law first received public attention during a press conference about rocket sled testing. ==Rocket sled tracks==