Animals in space human in space. On 13 December 1958, a Jupiter IRBM, AM-13, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with a United States Navy-trained South American squirrel monkey named Gordo on board. The nose cone recovery parachute failed to operate and Gordo was lost. Telemetry data sent back during the flight showed that the monkey survived the 10 g of launch, 8 minutes of weightlessness and 40 g of reentry at 10,000 miles per hour (16,000 km/h). The nose cone sank downrange from Cape Canaveral and was not recovered. Monkeys Able and Baker became the first monkeys to survive spaceflight after their
Miss Baker the type of anesthetic death every surgeon fears," said Colonel Robert Hullinghorst, deputy at Ft. Knox where the surgery took place, "We don't know exactly why it occurs." An autopsy found no problems that may have contributed to her death. Able is stuffed and on display at the National Air and Space Museum. Owing to their successful return from space to the USS Kiowa (ATF-72) and their crew, Able and Baker appeared on the cover of "Life" magazine, June 15, 1959. In 1962, Pensacola caretakers held a marriage ceremony to wed Miss Baker to Big George. Miss Baker lived at