Vanguard Explodes on Pad: America's Space Humiliation
The Vanguard TV3 rocket rose four feet off its launch pad at Cape Canaveral on December 6, 1957, then lost thrust, settled back down, and exploded in a spectacular fireball on live television. The tiny 3.2-pound satellite was thrown clear and landed nearby, its transmitter still beeping. The press was merciless: 'Flopnik,' 'Kaputnik,' 'Stayputnik,' and 'Dudnik' were among the headlines. The failure came two months after the Soviet Union had orbited the 184-pound Sputnik, making the contrast humiliating. The disaster accelerated two crucial decisions: Wernher von Braun's Army team was authorized to launch Explorer 1 using their Jupiter-C rocket, which succeeded on January 31, 1958, and Congress created NASA in July 1958 to centralize the chaotic American space effort. The Vanguard program eventually succeeded on its fourth attempt in March 1958.
December 6, 1957
69 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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