Like a high-strung thoroughbred finally cured of its jitters, the much-criticized Vanguard ran a perfect race last week. Of seven earlier Vanguard firings, six had been failures, and the seventh put only a grapefruit-sized, 3.25-lb. satellite in orbit. Last week's shot was perfect. All three stages of the 72-ft., pencil-slim rocket fired without a hitch. The satellite, which had the full design weight of 21.5 Ibs., settled into an orbit slightly higher than had been expected. Its perigee (lowest point) is 347 miles above the earth; its apogee (highest point) is 2,065 miles....
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