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. PGM-19 Jupiter rocket on its AM-13 mission.
The rocket would travel
over 1500 miles and reach a height of 310 miles (500 km) before returning to
Earth and landing in the South Atlantic. A technical malfunction prevented the
capsule's parachute from opening and, despite a short search, neither his body
nor the vessel were ever recovered.
Gordo was a South
American species of squirrel monkey, about one foot tall and weighing between 1
and 1.5 kg. He was chosen for space travel because of his species' similar
anatomical makeup to man and sensitivity to changes in temperature.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteJust dropping by from the A to Z Blog Challenge.
Thanks for the information on the squirrel monkey and his space travels.
Shalom,
Patricia
This great to read Gregg, I wondered if that was the early squirrels as I love to feed the ones in my garden.
ReplyDeleteSee you tomorrow for "H"
Yvonne.
I just LOVE Gordo.
ReplyDeleteCute little Gordo. You are introducing some fun animals in the A to Z. Enjoy. Maria from Delight Directed Living
ReplyDelete