Space Monkeys Able and Baker - 1959
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Able, a seven-pound female rhesus monkey, and Baker, a one-pound female spider monkey were launched into space on May 28, 1959 in the nose cone of JUPITER Missile AM-18. |
They reached an altitude of 300 miles and a distance of 1500 miles while travelling at speeds over 10,000 miles per hour on their brief trip into space. They successfully withstood forces 38 times the normal pull of gravity on earth and were weightless for approximately 9 minutes.
Able and Baker were unharmed after their 15 minute space flight. But a couple of months later, Able died from effects of anesthesia given for removal of electrodes they had implanted. Baker survived a similar operation.
Get this. They did an autopsy which revealed Able's death was not a result of the space flight.
Excuuuse me. He wasn't born with those electrodes in his body!