In this historical photo from the U.S. space agency, Vanguard satellite SLV-2 is being checked out at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Solar X-ray radiation satellite was launched June 26, 1958. The second stage of the launch vehicle ended prematurely due to low chamber pressure and terminated the mission. The launch was part of the U.S. International Geophysical Year program under the direction of the Office of Naval Research.
Each weekday, SPACE.com looks back at the history of spaceflight through photos (archive).