Runaway Test Rocket Disaster, Amazing Science Fiction Stories April 1959
An experimental liquid-fueled test rocket catastrophically breaks free from its launch gantry, tipping and crashing through a railyard in a spectacular explosion of orange fire and black smoke. The missile — numbered 901 — dominates the cover as it falls at a dangerous angle, while a lone figure sprints desperately to escape. Industrial infrastructure collapses around it, evoking Cold War anxieties about rocket technology run amok and the terrifying power of early space-age engineering gone wrong.
Holy smokes — that rocket is going to flatten the whole town and that guy better RUN! Nothing says Saturday afternoon excitement like a million-ton missile falling right at your face on the newsstand rack.
“E.E. Smith's THE GALAXY PRIMES Part 2 AMAZING SCIENCE FICTION STORIES APRIL 35¢ WARNING FROM THE STARS TEST ROCKET!”
