Bioflight 3 was a biological mission launched on September 15, 1959. The Jupiter missile carrying a Bioflight 3 payload (14 mice and several NASA biological specimens housed in the nose cone), lifted off from LC 26B at 16:45 EST. The missile was immediately in trouble, wobbling as it rose. Its kerosene tank suddenly ruptured just before it flipped upside down and, 14 seconds after liftoff, began to break up. A failed silver solder connection to a pressure sphere caused the failure.
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| Bioflight 3 lanuch cover postmarked on September 15, 1959, Port Canaveral. |
(Reference from
KING OF GODS: The Jupiter Missile Story)
