Space: Saturn's Success

With a scream that was out of this world, a giant rocket last week rose ponderously off its pad at Cape Canaveral, Fla. and, gathering speed, disappeared into the sky. When it splashed into the sea eight minutes later, the Saturn rocket had reached its programed height of 95 miles, scored a remarkable success in its first test flight, given the U.S. a big boost in its race for space against the Soviet Union.

Since the race began with the 1957 firing of Sputnik I, the U.S. has been handicapped by rockets with far less thrust than the Russian models. Forced...