The U.S. Navy's test of Vanguard rocket, along with its satellite payload, went hopelessly awry when the rocket failed to develop sufficient thrust and toppled over on the launch pad. The malfunctioning first stage caused vehicle to lose thrust after two seconds.
The Dec. 6, 1957 launch was slated for the U.S. International Geophysical Year program to place satellite in Earth orbit to determine atmospheric density and conduct geodetic measurements.