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Animals in space originally served to test the survivability of spaceflight before manned space missions were attempted. Later animals were flown to investigate various biological processes and the effects microgravity and space flight might have on them. As of 2004, five national space programs have flown animals into space: the United States, Soviet Union, France, China and Japan.
The first animals in space were fruit flies who were sent into space along with corn seeds aboard a U.S. launched V2 rocket in mid July, 1946. The purpose of the experiment was to explore the effects of radiation exposure at high altitudes. Some further V2 missions carried biological samples including moss.
Albert II in a U.S. launched V2 became the first monkey in spaceBefore humans were launched into space, several animals, including numerous monkeys, were used to investigate the biological effects of space travel. The United States launched monkey flights primarily between 1948 and 1961 with one flight in 1969 and one on June 14June 14 is the 165th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (166th in leap years), with 200 days remaining. Events 1381 King Richard II of England meets the leaders of Peasants Revolt. 1645 English Civil War: Battle of Naseby 12,000 Royalist forces are, 19491949 is the common year starting on Saturday. see link for calendar) Events January-February January 4 RMS Caronia of the Cunard Line departs Southampton for New York on her maiden voyage January 4 February 22 Series of winter storms in Nebraska, Wyoming, (after the failure of the original Albert's mission). Albert II died on impact after a parachute failure. Numerous monkeys of several species were flown by the U.S. in the 1950s and 60s. Monkeys were implanted with sensors to measure vital signs and many were under anesthesia during launch.
2 1950sCenturies: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Years: 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 Events and trends Technology United States tests the first fusion bomb.
On August 31August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining, as the final day of August. Events 1056 Byzantine Empress Theodora died suddenly without children to succeed the throne, ending the Macedonian, 1950Events January January 5 US Senator Estes Kefauver introduces a resolution calling for examination of organized crime in the USA January 6 The United Kingdom recognizes the People's Republic of China. The Republic of China severs diplomatic relations with the U.S. launched a mouseFor the computer peripheral, see computer mouse. A mouse is a mammal that belongs to one of numerous species of small rodents in the genus Mus and various related genera of the family Muridae. Mus musculus, the common house mouse (or laboratory mouse) is into space (137 km) aboard a V2 (the Albert V flight which unlike the Albert I-IV flights did not have a monkey). The U.S. launched several other mice in this decade but the first mouse was the only one which survived.
On January 29January 29 is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 336 days remaining, (337 in leap years). Events 1676 Feodor III becomes Tsar of Russia. 1845 The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe is published for the first time New York Evening Mirror ., 1951, the Soviet Union launched the R-1 IIIA-1 flight, carrying the dogs Zhegan and Dezik into space (but not into orbit). The U.S. launched mice aboard spacecraft later that year; however, they failed to reach the altitude for true spaceflight.
The first animal in orbit was the Soviet dog Laika onboard Sputnik 2 on November 3, 1957. Laika died during the flight. At least 10 other dogs were launched into orbit and numerous others on sub-orbital flights before April 1961 when Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. (See Russian space dogs)
On December 13, 1958, a Jupiter IRBM, AM-13, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida with a U.S. Navy trained South American squirrel monkey named "Gordo" onboard. The nosecone recovery parachute failed to operate and "Gordo" did not survive the flight. Telemetry data sent back during the flight showed that the monkey survived the 10g of launch, 8 minutes of weightlessness and 40g of reentry at 10,000 miles per hour. The nosecone sank 1,302 nm downrange from Cape Canaveral and was not recovered.
Monkeys Able and Baker became the first monkeys to survive spaceflight after their 1959 flight. On May 28, 1959, aboard Jupiter IRBM AM-18, were a 7 pound (3.18 kg) American-born rhesus monkey, "Able" and an 11 ounce (310 g) South American squirrel monkey, "Baker". The monkeys rode in the nosecone of the missile to an altitude of 360 miles (579 km) and a distance of 1,700 miles (2,735 km) down the Atlantic Missile Range from Cape Canaveral, Florida. They withstood forces 38 times the normal pull of gravity and were weightless for about 9 minutes. A top speed of 10,000 mph (14,00 km/h) was reached during their 16 minute flight. The monkeys survived the flight in good condition. "Able" died four days after the flight, from a reaction to the anesthesia, while undergoing surgery to remove an infected medical electrode. "Baker" lived until November 29, 1984 at the Alabama Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
