Miss Baker
Encyclopedia
Miss Baker was a squirrel monkey
who became, along with rhesus monkey Miss Able, one of the first two animals launched into space by the United States
and recovered alive.
All previous United States
efforts at launching monkeys to space
had met with the animals' demise from suffocation or parachute failure, and Soviet Union
efforts fared little better, to the chagrin of animal rights activists.
Preceding Baker, the Soviet Union recovered two dogs, the first mammals to be recovered from suborbital space flight, from an altitude of 101 kilometres (331,364.8 ft) on July 22, 1951, and subsequently recovered some other dogs.
The United States flew some monkeys and mice by Aerobee rocket to heights below the edge of space
beginning in 1951.
and brought to the Naval Aviation Medical School in Pensacola
. Fourteen of the candidates tolerated confinement for periods up to 24 hours, electrodes all over their bodies, and monitoring at all hours. Miss Baker "stood out from the rest because of her intelligence and loving, docile manner", relayed Burgess and Dubbs. For this, and her apparent pleasure at being handled with tender loving care, she earned the nickname TLC.
With experiments imminent, the Army named their monkey "Alpha," and the Navy followed with "Bravo," names taken directly from the phonetic alphabet
. Before flight, though, the names changed to the first letters of the antiquated Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet
.
to absorb moisture.
On May 28, 1959, at 2:39 A.M., a Jupiter rocket lofted Miss Baker and Miss Able to an altitude of 300 miles (482.8 km) through an acceleration of 38 gs
for a 16-minute flight which also included 9 minutes of weightlessness. The flight traveled 1500 miles (2,414 km) downrange from the pad at Cape Canaveral
launch complex 26B to the Atlantic Ocean
near Puerto Rico
where the capsule was recovered by USS Kiowa
.
The following table shows some characteristics of the monkeys on Jupiter AM-18 and the measurements taken during flight. Some of Able's measurements had data problems as indicated.
Able and Baker were not alone on the flight. They were accompanied by neurospora
, samples of human blood; E. coli
; onion
s; mustard
and corn
seeds; drosophila
pupae; yeast
, and sea urchin
eggs and sperm.
Able died four days after the flight from a highly unusual cardiac fibrillation in reaction to anesthesia to remove electrodes. "This is 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
.
, June 15, 1959.
In 1962, Pensacola
caretakers held a marriage ceremony to wed Miss Baker to Big George.
Miss Baker lived at the Naval Aerospace Medical Center in Pensacola, Florida until 1971.
In 1971, Miss Baker moved to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, where she entertained museum visitors and drew 100–150 letters a day from schoolchildren. The 1977 birthday celebrations brought balloons, camera flashes, and the regular fare of cottage cheese for Miss Baker and Big George.
Big George predeceased Miss Baker on January 8, 1979, and three months later, Norman, from the Yerkes National Primate Research Center
, became her second mate in a ceremony presided over by Alabama District Court judge Dan McCoy. Miss Baker refused to wear her white wedding train for the event, tearing it off after a few seconds.
In 1982, center director Ed Buckbee said, "Baker delights visitors every day with her energy and antics with her husband Norman." Her birthday was celebrated within a few weeks of the actual day, on the anniversary of her flight, May 28 each year.
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of her spaceflight, Baker was treated to a rubber duck
and, her favorite, strawberry gelatin
with bananas, along with well-wishes from thousands of people.
Baker died of kidney failure at a clinic at Auburn University
after attaining the record for oldest living squirrel monkey. She is buried on the grounds at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Her tombstone routinely has one or more bananas on top.
Squirrel monkey
The squirrel monkeys are the New World monkeys of the genus Saimiri. They are the only genus in the subfamily Saimirinae.Squirrel monkeys live in the tropical forests of Central and South America in the canopy layer. Most species have parapatric or allopatric ranges in the Amazon, while S...
who became, along with rhesus monkey Miss Able, one of the first two animals launched into space by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and recovered alive.
All previous United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
efforts at launching monkeys to space
Monkeys in space
Before humans went into space, several animals were launched into space, including numerous monkeys, so that scientists could investigate the biological effects of space travel. The United States launched flights containing primate cargo primarily between 1948-1961 with one flight in 1969 and one...
had met with the animals' demise from suffocation or parachute failure, and Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
efforts fared little better, to the chagrin of animal rights activists.
Preceding Baker, the Soviet Union recovered two dogs, the first mammals to be recovered from suborbital space flight, from an altitude of 101 kilometres (331,364.8 ft) on July 22, 1951, and subsequently recovered some other dogs.
The United States flew some monkeys and mice by Aerobee rocket to heights below the edge of space
Karman line
The Kármán line lies at an altitude of above the Earth's sea level, and is commonly used to define the boundary between the Earth's atmosphere and outer space...
beginning in 1951.
Pre-flight
The squirrel monkey who was to become known as Miss Baker was purchased along with 25 other squirrel monkeys at a pet shop in Miami, FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and brought to the Naval Aviation Medical School in Pensacola
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
. Fourteen of the candidates tolerated confinement for periods up to 24 hours, electrodes all over their bodies, and monitoring at all hours. Miss Baker "stood out from the rest because of her intelligence and loving, docile manner", relayed Burgess and Dubbs. For this, and her apparent pleasure at being handled with tender loving care, she earned the nickname TLC.
With experiments imminent, the Army named their monkey "Alpha," and the Navy followed with "Bravo," names taken directly from the phonetic alphabet
NATO phonetic alphabet
The NATO phonetic alphabet, more accurately known as the NATO spelling alphabet and also called the ICAO phonetic or spelling alphabet, the ITU phonetic alphabet, and the international radiotelephony spelling alphabet, is the most widely used spelling alphabet...
. Before flight, though, the names changed to the first letters of the antiquated Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet
Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet
The Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet was a radio alphabet developed in 1941 and was used by all branches of the United States military until the promulgation of the ICAO spelling alphabet in 1956, which replaced it...
.
The flight
Miss Baker wore a tiny helmet lined with rubber and chamois leather plus a tiny jacket for launch, in addition to a respiration meter affixed to her nose with model cement, and she was fitted into a snug capsule of shoebox size, 9¾ x 12½ x 6¾ inches (24.8 x 31.8 x 17.1 cm) insulated with rubber and fiberglass. Life support was an oxygen bottle with a pressure valve, and lithium hydroxideLithium hydroxide
Lithium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula LiOH. It is a white hygroscopic crystalline material. It is soluble in water and slightly soluble in ethanol...
to absorb moisture.
On May 28, 1959, at 2:39 A.M., a Jupiter rocket lofted Miss Baker and Miss Able to an altitude of 300 miles (482.8 km) through an acceleration of 38 gs
Standard gravity
Standard gravity, or standard acceleration due to free fall, usually denoted by g0 or gn, is the nominal acceleration of an object in a vacuum near the surface of the Earth. It is defined as precisely , or about...
for a 16-minute flight which also included 9 minutes of weightlessness. The flight traveled 1500 miles (2,414 km) downrange from the pad at Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral, from the Spanish Cabo Cañaveral, is a headland in Brevard County, Florida, United States, near the center of the state's Atlantic coast. Known as Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973, it lies east of Merritt Island, separated from it by the Banana River.It is part of a region known as the...
launch complex 26B to the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
near Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
where the capsule was recovered by USS Kiowa
USS Kiowa (AT-72)
The third USS Kiowa , later ATF-72, was a fleet tug, later fleet ocean tug, that served in the United States Navy from 1943 to 1972.-Construction and commissioning:...
.
The following table shows some characteristics of the monkeys on Jupiter AM-18 and the measurements taken during flight. Some of Able's measurements had data problems as indicated.
| Measurement | Experiment 2A - Baker | Experiment 2B - Able |
|---|---|---|
| species | squirrel monkey Squirrel monkey The squirrel monkeys are the New World monkeys of the genus Saimiri. They are the only genus in the subfamily Saimirinae.Squirrel monkeys live in the tropical forests of Central and South America in the canopy layer. Most species have parapatric or allopatric ranges in the Amazon, while S... |
rhesus monkey |
| weight | 1 pound (0.45359237 kg) | 7 pounds (3.2 kg) |
| flight prep time | 8 hours | 3 days |
| electrocardiogram Electrocardiogram Electrocardiography is a transthoracic interpretation of the electrical activity of the heart over a period of time, as detected by electrodes attached to the outer surface of the skin and recorded by a device external to the body... |
||
| electromyogram, extensor | ||
| electromyogram, flexor | ||
| heart sounds | ||
| pulse velocity, femoral vs carotid | ||
| respiratory rate | ||
| body temperature | ||
| ambient temperature | ||
| ambient capsule pressure | ||
| relative humidity | ||
| percent carbon dioxide | ||
| monitor electric shock | ||
| monitor lever response | ||
| monitor light stimulus | ||
| monitor camera | ||
| emulsion plates Nuclear emulsion In a Particle and Nuclear physics, a nuclear emulsion plate is a photographic plate with a particularly thick emulsion layer and with a very uniform grain size. Like bubble chambers, cloud chambers, and wire chambers nuclear emulsion plates record the tracks of charged particles passing through... for heavy nuclei of cosmic origin |
Able and Baker were not alone on the flight. They were accompanied by neurospora
Neurospora
Neurospora is a genus of Ascomycete fungi. The genus name, meaning "nerve spore" refers to the characteristic striations on the spores that resemble axons....
, samples of human blood; E. coli
Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms . Most E. coli strains are harmless, but some serotypes can cause serious food poisoning in humans, and are occasionally responsible for product recalls...
; onion
Onion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
s; mustard
Mustard (condiment)
Mustard is a condiment made from the seeds of a mustard plant...
and corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
seeds; drosophila
Drosophila
Drosophila is a genus of small flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "fruit flies" or more appropriately pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many species to linger around overripe or rotting fruit...
pupae; yeast
Yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...
, and sea urchin
Sea urchin
Sea urchins or urchins are small, spiny, globular animals which, with their close kin, such as sand dollars, constitute the class Echinoidea of the echinoderm phylum. They inhabit all oceans. Their shell, or "test", is round and spiny, typically from across. Common colors include black and dull...
eggs and sperm.
Able died four days after the flight from a highly unusual cardiac fibrillation in reaction to anesthesia to remove electrodes. "This is 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
National Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It was established in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C., United States, it is a center for research into the history and science of aviation and...
.
Post-flight
Owing to their successful return from space, Able and Baker appeared on the cover of Life magazineLife (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
, June 15, 1959.
In 1962, Pensacola
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
caretakers held a marriage ceremony to wed Miss Baker to Big George.
Miss Baker lived at the Naval Aerospace Medical Center in Pensacola, Florida until 1971.
In 1971, Miss Baker moved to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, where she entertained museum visitors and drew 100–150 letters a day from schoolchildren. The 1977 birthday celebrations brought balloons, camera flashes, and the regular fare of cottage cheese for Miss Baker and Big George.
Big George predeceased Miss Baker on January 8, 1979, and three months later, Norman, from the Yerkes National Primate Research Center
Yerkes National Primate Research Center
The Yerkes National Primate Research Center, originally established and located in Orange Park, Florida but was later relocated to Atlanta, Georgia at Emory University, is one of eight national primate research centers funded by the National Institutes of Health...
, became her second mate in a ceremony presided over by Alabama District Court judge Dan McCoy. Miss Baker refused to wear her white wedding train for the event, tearing it off after a few seconds.
In 1982, center director Ed Buckbee said, "Baker delights visitors every day with her energy and antics with her husband Norman." Her birthday was celebrated within a few weeks of the actual day, on the anniversary of her flight, May 28 each year.
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of her spaceflight, Baker was treated to a rubber duck
Rubber duck
A rubber duck is a toy shaped like a stylised Yellow-billed Duck , and is generally yellow with a flat base. It may be made of rubber or rubber-like material such as vinyl plastic...
and, her favorite, strawberry gelatin
Gelatin
Gelatin is a translucent, colorless, brittle , flavorless solid substance, derived from the collagen inside animals' skin and bones. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing. Substances containing gelatin or functioning in a similar...
with bananas, along with well-wishes from thousands of people.
Baker died of kidney failure at a clinic at Auburn University
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
after attaining the record for oldest living squirrel monkey. She is buried on the grounds at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Her tombstone routinely has one or more bananas on top.