Marshall Space Flight Center a future goal of manned flight, monkeys Able and Baker were the first living creatures recovered from outer space on May 28, 1959. They had been carried in the nose cone on a Jupiter missile to an altitude of and a distance of , successfully withstanding 38 times the normal pull of gravity. Their survival during speeds over 10,000 miles per hour was America's first biological step toward putting a man into space. On October 21, 1959, President Eisenhower approved the transfer of all Army space-related activities to NASA. This was accomplished effective July 1, 1960, when 4,670 civilian employees,
Miss Earth Japan Japan was first represented in Miss Earth 2001 by Misuzu Hirayama, who was the first titleholder of Miss Earth Japan and won the Miss Friendship special award. In 2010, Japan first entered both in the semifinal and final round of the Miss Earth pageant, where Marina Kishira finished in the top 7 and won the Best in National Costume award in Miss Earth 2010. The winner of Miss Earth Japan (MEJ) represents her country at Miss Earth. On occasion, when the winner does not qualify (due to age) for either contest, a runner-up is sent. The following are the names