Vanguard Failure IV

In a matter of minutes after the Navy blasted off its fifth Vanguard rocket at Cape Canaveral one night last week, instruments flashed word to Central Control that all three stages had fired successfully, that the third stage was sailing along faster than the 18,000 m.p.h. needed to orbit. But from downrange tracking stations came a warning that the third stage was climbing at too sharp an angle. After San Diego reported no signal at all, Navy scientists sadly concluded that there was a malfunction in the guidance system, that the rocket failed to keel over into the near-horizontal course required to pop its 21 1/2-lb. satellite into orbit, instead streaked almost straight up for about 2,000 miles and disappeared.

It was the fourth failure in five attempts to launch a Vanguard satellite.

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