Miscellaneous - This Day That Age   

dated October 12, 1958, (there being no issue of the paper dated October 13): Rocket to moon

The United States Air Force on October 11 successfully launched Pioneer, the moon rocket, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and radio stations broke into their programmes to tell jubilant Americans the news. All three stages ignited at full thrust and the 88-foot-high rocket reached the speed of 25,000 miles an hour needed to enable it to escape the clutches of the earth’s gravity. The Defence Department said that from data received from Britain’s Jodrell Bank station and I.G.Y. stations, “It appears that the Pioneer is departing from its planned trajectory.” An official of the lunar probe programme said it was obvious now that Pioneer would miss the moon by a wide margin.

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