Monkeys in space
Encyclopedia
Human spaceflight
Human spaceflight is spaceflight with humans on the spacecraft. When a spacecraft is manned, it can be piloted directly, as opposed to machine or robotic space probes and remotely-controlled satellites....
, several animals were launched into space
Animals in space
Animals in space originally only served to test the survivability of spaceflight, before manned space missions were attempted. Later, animals were also flown to investigate various biological processes and the effects microgravity and space flight might have on them...
, including numerous monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
s, so that scientists could investigate the biological
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
effects of space travel
Space exploration
Space exploration is the use of space technology to explore outer space. Physical exploration of space is conducted both by human spaceflights and by robotic spacecraft....
. The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
launched flights containing primate cargo primarily between 1948-1961 with one flight in 1969 and one in 1985. France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
launched two monkey-carrying flights in 1967. The Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
launched monkeys between 1983 and 1996. Most monkeys were anesthetized before lift-off. Overall thirty-two monkeys flew in the space program; none flew more than once. Numerous back-up monkeys also went through the programs but never flew. Monkeys from several species were used, including rhesus monkeys
Rhesus Macaque
The Rhesus macaque , also called the Rhesus monkey, is one of the best-known species of Old World monkeys. It is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and its tolerance of a broad range of habitats...
, cynomolgus monkeys
Crab-eating Macaque
The Crab-eating macaque is a cercopithecine primate native to Southeast Asia. It is also called the "long-tailed macaque", and is referred to as the "cynomolgus monkey" in laboratories.-Etymology:...
, squirrel monkeys
Common Squirrel Monkey
The common squirrel monkey is a small New World primate from the Cebidae family, and native to the tropical areas of South America.-Location:...
, and pig-tailed macaque
Southern Pig-tailed Macaque
The southern pig-tailed macaque is a medium-sized Old World monkey found in the southern half of the Malay Peninsula , Borneo, Sumatra and Bangka Island. This omnivorous macaque is mostly found in forest, but will also enter plantations and gardens...
s. Some chimpanzee
Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
s were also used.
United States
The first ever monkey astronaut was Albert, a Rhesus MonkeyRhesus Macaque
The Rhesus macaque , also called the Rhesus monkey, is one of the best-known species of Old World monkeys. It is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and its tolerance of a broad range of habitats...
, who on June 11, 1948 rode to over 63 km (39.1 mi) on a V2 rocket
V-2 rocket
The V-2 rocket , technical name Aggregat-4 , was a ballistic missile that was developed at the beginning of the Second World War in Germany, specifically targeted at London and later Antwerp. The liquid-propellant rocket was the world's first long-range combat-ballistic missile and first known...
. Albert died of suffocation during the flight.
Albert was followed by Albert II who survived the V2 flight but died on impact on June 14, 1949 after a parachute failure. Albert II became the first monkey in space as his flight reached 134 km (83.3 mi) - past the Kármán line
Karman line
The Kármán line lies at an altitude of above the Earth's sea level, and is commonly used to define the boundary between the Earth's atmosphere and outer space...
of 100 km taken to designate the beginning of space. Albert III died at 35,000 feet (10.7 km) in an explosion of his V2 on September 16, 1949. Albert IV on the last monkey V2 flight died on impact on December 8 that year after another parachute failure. His flight reached 130.6 km. Alberts I, II, and IV were rhesus monkeys while Albert III was a cynomolgus monkey
Crab-eating Macaque
The Crab-eating macaque is a cercopithecine primate native to Southeast Asia. It is also called the "long-tailed macaque", and is referred to as the "cynomolgus monkey" in laboratories.-Etymology:...
.
Monkeys later flew on Aerobee rockets. On April 18, 1951, a monkey, possibly called Albert V, died due to parachute failure. Yorick, also called Albert VI, along with 11 mouse crewmates, became the first animals to survive rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
flight on 20 September 1951; although, he died 2 hours after landing. Two of the mice also died after recovery; all of the deaths were thought to be related to stress from overheating in the sealed capsule in the New Mexico sun while awaiting the recovery team. Albert VI's flight reached 70 km, below the definition of spaceflight. Patricia and Mike, two cynomolgus monkeys, flew on May 21, 1952 and survived but their flight was only to 26 kilometers.
On December 13, 1958, Gordo
Gordo (space monkey)
Gordo was one of the first monkeys to travel into space. As part of the NASA space program, Gordo, also known as "Old Reliable", was launched from Cape Canaveral on December 13, 1958 in the U.S. Jupiter AM-13 rocket. The rocket would travel over 1500 miles and reach a height of 310 miles before...
, also called Old Reliable, a squirrel monkey, survived being launched aboard Jupiter AM-13 by the US Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. He was killed due to mechanical failure of the parachute recovery system in the rocket nose cone
Nose cone
The term nose cone is used to refer to the forwardmost section of a rocket, guided missile or aircraft. The cone is shaped to offer minimum aerodynamic resistance...
.
On May 28, 1959, aboard the JUPITER AM-18, Able, a rhesus monkey, and Miss Baker
Miss Baker
Miss Baker was a squirrel monkey who became, along with rhesus monkey Miss Able, one of the first two animals launched into space by the United States and recovered alive....
, a squirrel monkey, became the first monkeys to successfully return to Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
after traveling in space. Able was born at the Ralph Mitchell Zoo in Independence, Kansas. They travelled in excess of 16,000 km/h, and withstood 38 g
G-force
The g-force associated with an object is its acceleration relative to free-fall. This acceleration experienced by an object is due to the vector sum of non-gravitational forces acting on an object free to move. The accelerations that are not produced by gravity are termed proper accelerations, and...
(373 m/s²). Able died June 1, 1959 while undergoing surgery to remove an infected medical electrode, from a reaction to the anesthesia. Baker died November 29, 1984 at the age of 27 and is buried on the grounds of the United States Space & Rocket Center
United States Space & Rocket Center
The U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama is a museum showcasing rockets, achievements, and artifacts of the U.S. space program. The facility is also home to United States Space Camp and Aviation Challenge...
in Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
. Able was preserved, and is now on display at the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
's National Air and Space Museum
National Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It was established in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C., United States, it is a center for research into the history and science of aviation and...
. Their names were taken from a phonetic alphabet
Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet
The Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet was a radio alphabet developed in 1941 and was used by all branches of the United States military until the promulgation of the ICAO spelling alphabet in 1956, which replaced it...
. Able inspired a character in the film Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is an American adventure comedy film directed by Shawn Levy, and starring Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, and Steve Coogan. The film is a sequel to Night at the Museum...
.
On December 4, 1959, Sam, a rhesus monkey, flew on the Little Joe 2
Little Joe 2
The Little Joe 2 was a test of the Mercury space capsule. It was the first American animal spaceflight, carrying the Rhesus monkey Sam close to the edge of space. He was sent to test the space equipment and the adverse effects of space on humans.The flight was launched December 4, 1959, at 11:15...
in the Mercury program
Project Mercury
In January 1960 NASA awarded Western Electric Company a contract for the Mercury tracking network. The value of the contract was over $33 million. Also in January, McDonnell delivered the first production-type Mercury spacecraft, less than a year after award of the formal contract. On February 12,...
to 53 miles high. Miss Sam, also a rhesus monkey, followed in 1960, on Little Joe 1B
Little Joe 1B
The Little Joe 1B was a Launch Escape System test of the Mercury spacecraft, conducted as part of the U.S. Mercury program. The mission also carried a female Rhesus monkey named Miss Sam in the Mercury spacecraft. The mission was launched January 21, 1960, from Wallops Island, Virginia...
although her flight was only to 8 mi (12.9 km) in a test of emergency procedures. Ham
Ham the Chimp
Ham , also known as Ham the Chimp and Ham the Astrochimp, was the first chimpanzee launched into outer space in the American space program...
and Enos
Enos (chimpanzee)
Enos was the first chimpanzee that was launched into Earth orbit.Enos was purchased from the Miami Rare Bird Farm on April 3, 1960. He completed more than 1,250 hours of training for his mission at the University of Kentucky and Holloman Air Force Base...
also flew in the Mercury program but they were chimpanzee
Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
s. The names 'Sam' and 'Ham' were acronyms. Sam was named in homage to the School of Aerospace Medicine at Brooks Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. The name 'Ham' was taken from Holloman Aerospace Medicine at Holloman Air Force Base
Holloman Air Force Base
Holloman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located six miles southwest of the central business district of Alamogordo, a city in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. The base was named in honor of Col. George V. Holloman, a pioneer in guided missile research...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
.
Goliath, a squirrel monkey, died in the explosion of his Atlas rocket
Atlas (rocket family)
Atlas is a family of U.S. space launch vehicles. The original Atlas missile was designed in the late 1950s and produced by the Convair Division of General Dynamics, to be used as an intercontinental ballistic missile...
on November 10, 1961. A rhesus monkey called Scatback flew a sub-orbital flight on December 20, 1961 but was lost at sea after landing.
Bonny, a pig-tailed macaque, flew on Biosatellite 3
Biosatellite
A biosatellite is a satellite designed to carry life in space. The first satellite with animal was Soviet Sputnik 2 at November 3, 1957. On August 20, 1960 Soviet Sputnik 5 first time recovered animals from orbit to Earth....
, a mission which lasted from 29 June to 8 July 1969. This was the first multi-day monkey flight, but came after longer human spaceflights were common. He died within a day of landing.
Spacelab 3
STS-51-B
STS 51-B was the seventeenth flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the seventh flight of Space Shuttle Challenger. The launch of Challenger on 29 April 1985 was delayed by 2 minutes and 18 seconds, due to a launch processing failure. Challenger was initially rolled out to the pad to launch on...
on the Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
flight STS-51-B
STS-51-B
STS 51-B was the seventeenth flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the seventh flight of Space Shuttle Challenger. The launch of Challenger on 29 April 1985 was delayed by 2 minutes and 18 seconds, due to a launch processing failure. Challenger was initially rolled out to the pad to launch on...
featured two squirrel monkeys named No. 3165 and No. 384-80. The flight was from 29 April to 6 May 1985.
France
France launched a pig-tailed macaque named Martine on a Vesta rocket on March 7, 1967 and another named Pierette on March 13. These suborbital flights reach 243 km (151 mi) and 234 km (145.4 mi), respectively. Martine became the first monkey to survive more than a couple of days after flying above the international definition of the edge of space.Soviet Union and later (after 1991) Russia
The Soviet/Russian space program in the Bion programBion (satellite)
The Bion satellites or Bion space program , also named Biocosmos, were a series of Soviet biosatellites. They were part of the Cosmos satellites....
satellites used only the rhesus species.
The first Soviet monkeys, Abrek and Bion, flew on Bion 6
Bion 6
Bion 6 was a biomedical spaceflight research mission that was launched on December 12, 1983. It was part of the Bion satellite program. Two Rhesus monkeys were flown into orbit implanted with sensors to permit monitoring of carotid artery blood flow. Eighteen pregnant white rats were used for...
. They were aloft from December 14, 1983 - December 20, 1983.
Next came Bion 7
Bion 7
Bion 7 was a biomedical research mission satellite involving scientists from nine countries. It was part of the Bion program.It carried two Rhesus monkeys named Gordyy and Oomka, ten male rats, and ten newts. The monkey research focused on vestibular and blood flow investigations as well as...
with monkeys Verny and Gordy from July 10, 1985 - July 17, 1985.
Then Dryoma and Yerosha on Bion 8
Bion 8
Bion 8 was a Bion satellite. It carried scientific instruments for continuing research into the effects of spaceflight on monkeys and other biological objects, radiation safety, and physics. Research and experiments were also carried out, within the framework of international cooperation, on the...
from September 29, 1987 - October 12, 1987. After returning from space Dryoma was presented to Cuban leader Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
.
Bion 9
Bion 9
Bion 9 was a biomedical research mission involving nine countries and ESA. It was part of the Bion program. Eighty experiments were conducted in such categories as motion sickness, reproduction and regeneration, immunology, and readaption to a normal gravity environment. A number of different...
with monkeys Zhakonya and Zabiyaka followed from September 15, 1989 to September 28, 1989. They hold the monkey in space endurance record at 13 days, 17 hours in space.
Monkeys Krosh and Ivasha flew on Bion 10
Bion 10
Bion 10 , a C.I.S. spacecraft, was launched by a Soyuz-U rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. It was part of the Bion program. It carried two monkeys and several insects, amphibians, plants, and cell cultures. Participating scientists were from nine countries and ESA...
from December 29, 1992 to January 7, 1993. Sixteen-year-old space veteran Krosh has produced offspring, after rehabilitation upon returning to Earth.
Lapik and Multik are the last space monkeys to date. They flew aboard the Bion 11
Bion 11
Bion 11 was a Russian space mission that was part of the Bion series of space flights. It carried newts, snails, Drosophila flies and other insects, bacteria, and two macaque monkeys , Lapik and Multik...
mission from December 24, 1996 to January 7, 1997. Multik died following inhalation of vomitus while anesthetized for US biopsy sampling on January 8. Lapik almost died during the identical procedure. These 2 incidents, plus the bad reaction to post-flight anesthesia in the US monkey, Able, 4 days after return to earth were never followed up as a potential impact of spaceflight contraindicating anesthesia during or shortly after spaceflght. Further US support of the Bion program was cancelled.
The names of the monkeys started with each letter of the Russian alphabet
Russian alphabet
The Russian alphabet is a form of the Cyrillic script, developed in the First Bulgarian Empire during the 10th century AD at the Preslav Literary School...
sequentially (А, Б, В, Г, Д, Е, Ж, З...)
Argentina
On December 23, 1969, as part of the 'Operación Navidad' (Christmas Operation), ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
launched Juan (a cai monkey, native to Argentina's Misiones Province
Misiones Province
Misiones is one of the 23 provinces of Argentina, located in the northeastern corner of the country in the Mesopotamiсa region. It is surrounded by Paraguay to the northwest, Brazil to the north, east and south, and Corrientes Province of Argentina to the southwest.- History :The province was...
) using a two-stage Rigel 04 rocket. It ascended only up to 60 kilometers and then was recovered successfully. This is below the international definition of space. Later, on the February 1, 1970 the experience was repeated with a female monkey of the same species using a X-1 Panther rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
. Although it reached a higher altitude than its predecessor, it was lost after the capsule's parachute failed.
See also
- Gordo (space monkey)Gordo (space monkey)Gordo was one of the first monkeys to travel into space. As part of the NASA space program, Gordo, also known as "Old Reliable", was launched from Cape Canaveral on December 13, 1958 in the U.S. Jupiter AM-13 rocket. The rocket would travel over 1500 miles and reach a height of 310 miles before...
- Soviet space dogs
- Animals in spaceAnimals in spaceAnimals in space originally only served to test the survivability of spaceflight, before manned space missions were attempted. Later, animals were also flown to investigate various biological processes and the effects microgravity and space flight might have on them...
- Space explorationSpace explorationSpace exploration is the use of space technology to explore outer space. Physical exploration of space is conducted both by human spaceflights and by robotic spacecraft....
- Captain Simian & the Space MonkeysCaptain Simian & the Space MonkeysCaptain Simian & the Space Monkeys is an American animated television series. The show premiered on September 7, 1996 and ended after 26 episodes on June 21, 1997. It was produced by Monkeyshine Productions and distributed by Bohbot Entertainment and aired as part of a syndicated animation block...
- Ham the ChimpHam the ChimpHam , also known as Ham the Chimp and Ham the Astrochimp, was the first chimpanzee launched into outer space in the American space program...
- Space ChimpsSpace ChimpsSpace Chimps is a 2008 computer-animated family comedy film produced by Vanguard Animation, Starz Media and 20th Century Fox, and it was released on July 18, 2008. The film is produced by Barry Sonnenfeld, John H. Williams, and John W...
Further reading
- Animals In Space: From Research Rockets to the Space Shuttle, Chris Dubbs and Colin BurgessColin Burgess (author)Colin Burgess is an Australian author and historian, specializing in space flight and military history. He is a former customer service manager for Qantas Airways, and a regular contributor to the collectSPACE online community. He lives in New South Wales...
, Springer-Praxis Books, 2007