Space: Biggest Booster Yet

A brilliant flame, 700 ft. tall, towered over the swampy coast near Brunswick, Ga., as the loudest continuous sound ever made by man shook both land and sea. For 64 roaring seconds the gigantic flame rivaled the sunlight while a column of light brown smoke climbed high in the sky. Then the fire stopped abruptly. The first static test of the most powerful rocket motor ever built was a complete success.

Inside Out. The 3,000,000-lb.-thrust engine was constructed by Thiokol Chemical Corp. to prove the feasibility of very large, solid-propellant boosters. It...

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