Fact: Four
monkeys named Albert
were launched into space in 1948 and 1949, but none of them survived.
In 1948, Albert I was the first monkey astronaut. He flew on a V-2 Blossom rocket from White Sands Proving Ground in New
Mexico. His flight only reached 39 miles, and Albert
I suffocated. Albert II followed in his footsteps three days later,
and reached an altitude of 83 miles, but died on impact after a
parachute failure. Albert III flew in 1949, his rocket exploded soon
after takeoff. A couple of months later Albert IV reached an
altitude of 80 miles, but also died after a parachute failure.
Quote: Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage -- H.L Mencken.
And a site: NASA's history of animals in space.
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