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| A cover commemorating the launch of Bioflight 3, postmarked at Port Canaveral with a hand cancel on September 17, 1959, two days after the launch day. |
Bioflight 3 was a biological mission that launched on September 15, 1959. The Jupiter missile, which carried the Bioflight 3 payload containing 14 mice and several NASA biological specimens in the nose cone, lifted off from LC 26B at 16:45 EST. However, the missile encountered issues almost immediately, wobbling during its ascent. Just before it flipped upside down, its kerosene tank ruptured, and 14 seconds after liftoff, the missile began to disintegrate. The failure was attributed to a defective silver solder connection to a pressure sphere.
(Reference from
KING OF GODS: The Jupiter Missile Story,
Bioflight 3)
