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The final Atlas E test from CCAS was Missile 40E on February 13, 1962. With OSTF-1 back in operation, Missile 66E launched on March 1. Shortly after liftoff, a thrust section fire started in the vicinity of the fuel fill/drain valve. It continued until approximately T+50 seconds and then disappeared, but apparently resulted in damage to the thrust section, as the helium control gas leaked and resulted in vernier engine shutdown as well as no booster jettison. After BECO, the sustainer engine was left dragging the dead weight of the booster section. This combined with the loss of roll control from vernier shutdown caused the missile to tumble and finally break up at T+295 seconds. The exact reason for the thrust section fire was not determined. In addition, an erroneous signal from a pad umbilical threw open the LOX boil-off valve at liftoff, causing a gradual decay in tank pressure during ascent, although this was a secondary failure that did not contribute to the eventual loss of the missile.<ref>"Flight Test Evaluation Report, Missile 66E Convair March 14, 1962"</ref>
The Atlas test program during 1962 mainly consisted of Atlas D and F flights
One other E-series flew during the year, when Missile 64E lifted from OSTF-1 on December 18 and self-destructed 40 seconds into launch when the B-2 engine shut down, resulting in a yaw maneuver that exceeded the missile's structural limits. The failure was traced to a pressure pulse at liftoff that caused the B-2 insulation boot to be jammed upward and snag on the drain valve for the turbopump lubricant oil tank. During ascent, the oil escaped until the pump ran out of lubricant and seized up, causing engine shutdown and loss of the missile. Improvements to the insulation boots and changes in preflight procedures to prevent pressure pulses from forming were implemented.<ref>"Flight Test Evaluation Report, Missile 64E Convair January 3, 1963"</ref>
Following the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]] in October 1962, several Congressmen voiced their concern about the reliability of the ICBM arsenal and whether it would actually work if called upon. Secretary of Defense [[Robert McNamara]] thus decided to carry out a test launch of an Atlas missile to verify its operability. The serial numbers of all currently deployed Atlas missiles were written down on pieces of paper, placed inside a hat, and one would be pulled at random. The winner turned out to be Missile 65E, then located at Walker Air Force Base in Kansas. This would be the first launch of an active duty ICBM from an operational silo facility, the Mk IV nuclear warhead would be replaced with a dummy unit and the guidance program changed to fire the Atlas into the Pacific Ocean instead of over the North Pole into the Soviet Union. However, the project quickly met with opposition from Kansas governor [[John Anderson Jr.|John Anderson]] as well as politicians from neighboring states who protested the idea of a missile flying over populated areas, especially since on-duty ICBMs lacked any Range Safety destruct system in the event of a malfunction. Even if the Atlas flew perfectly, the booster section would still have a high chance of landing in a populated area. Secretary McNamara eventually agreed to transport Atlas 65E to Vandenberg and have the Walker AFB crew launch it there.
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