| Thursday, May 28, 2009 |
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| The Returning Hero, Miss Baker |
SpotlightMonkeys in Space. In the early days of the space program, in order to protect human lives, animals made the first voyages out of the Earth's atmosphere. In 1948, a rhesus monkey named Albert became the first primate launched. He didn't make it quite into space, as his rocket failed to travel beyond the 100 km Kármán line demarcating the beginning of space. Albert suffocated during the flight. Eleven years later, on May 28, 1959, rhesus monkey Able and squirrel monkey Miss Baker became the first living beings to successfully return to Earth from a journey into space. Able died four days later from a reaction to the anesthesia he received during surgery to remove an infected medical electrode. He was preserved and is on display at the National Air and Space Museum. Miss Baker was 27 years old when she died in 1984. She is buried on the grounds of the US Space and Rocket Center.
Quote"The best thing about space travel is that it made it possible to go elsewhere."
Question of the DayHow many different animals have been into space?
So far to date 186 different species (187 if you included humans) have flown in space. It is probably more if you count the various types of bacteria, but that is the official total, (thanks to NASA for getting back to me so quickly).
Apart from the monkeys, chimpanzees and dogs used by the United States and Russia, the more notable species include the first rat in space launched by France in 1961. They followed that with another first in 1963 with the launch of Felix the cat.
Russia launched a tortoise in 1968, who along with some wine flies and meal worms became the first animals in deep space when they were flown to the Moon and back. Tortoises also set the record for the length of time spent in space, when a pair were flown in Soyuz 20 in 1975, spending a total of just over 90 days in space.
Skylab 3 carried the first fish into space in 1973, it was a mummichog. Also on that flight were the first spiders in space, two cross spiders named Arabella and Anita.
With the advent of the Space Shuttle, the USA has flown more creatures in space than any other country.
Word of the daymanumit
To free from slavery or bondage; emancipate.
It being the month of May, it may be appropriate to examine a week's worth of words that start as MAy does.
Today's History
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Dionne Quintuplets Meet the Queen-To-Be |
- Indian Removal Act: law forcing the relocation of eastern tribes to the other side of the Mississippi River was signed by US President Andrew Jackson (1830)
- Sierra Club: environmental activist group was founded by Scottish-American conservationist John Muir, among others; it now has nearly three quarters of a million members (1892)
- Dionne quintuplets: first known surviving set was born; the five identical girls became Ontario's biggest tourist attraction (1934)
Today's Birthdays
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| Jerry West |
- William Pitt, the younger (1759-1806): British PM; politicians Edvard Beneš (1884-1948), Randolph Churchill (1911-1968), Rudy Giuliani (65) and Mark Sanford (49) share this birth date
- Ian Fleming (1908-1964): creator of James Bond; also, writers Thomas Moore (1779-1852), Patrick White (1912-1990) and Walker Percy (1916-1990)
- Jerry West (71): one of the NBA's greatest shooting guards; athlete Jim Thorpe (1888-1953) was also born on this date
- Lynn Johnston (62): cartoonist, For Better or For Worse
- Gladys Knight (65): R&B singer; also, singers John Fogerty (64) and Kylie Minogue (41)
- Elisabeth Hasselbeck (32): TV personality, "The View"
