Smithsonian Air and Space Museum / This is the Nike Ajax missile, the first operational U.S. surface-to-air missile. Development began in 1945 and the missile was stationed near many Richard Erwin                                           U. S. cities during 1953 to 1958, the first few years of the cold war. The first stage was a solid fueled booster while the upper stage used liquid fuel. 8/10/2009