1961: Squirrel Monkey Goliath Killed After Rocket Veers Off Course at Cape Canaveral

In 1961, a squirrel monkey named Goliath was sent on a space mission launched from Cape Canaveral. Just 35 seconds after liftoff, the rocket deviated from its intended trajectory. Ground controllers decided to remotely destroy the vehicle mid-flight to avert a potential disaster on the ground. Goliath did not survive the destruction of the rocket. The ill-fated mission is remembered as a somber episode in the early history of space exploration.