1960 Press Photo Scout research rocket launches from Wallops Island, Virginia

A scout research rocket, later destroyed as a safety measure, blasts off a Wallops Island, Virginia launching pad last night. The first three stages of the 72-foot long rocket fired successfully, National Aeronautics and Space Administration officials said, but the Scout veered off its course and was destroyed before the fourth stage ignited. The rocket fell into the Atlantic from a height of about 860 miles and 1,500 miles southeast of Wallops Island.

Photo is dated 1960.

Photo measures 8 x 10 inches.