In 1950, a live and unanaesthetized mouse was sent to the upper atmosphere in a V-2 rocket to test biological responses and capture physiological data and imagery during the flight

In 1950, a live and unanaesthetized mouse was sent to the upper atmosphere in a V-2 rocket to test biological responses and capture physiological data and imagery during the flight. The launch was part of early American research into how living organisms responded to high-altitude and suborbital flight conditions. On August 31, 1950, a captured German V-2 rocket was launched from White Sands Proving Ground in New Mexico. The rocket carried one unnamed mouse. An automated camera photographed the animal during the flight. The rocket reached an altitude of about 136.4 miles, or 219.5 kilometres, according to records about the mission. The rocket performed as expected, but its recovery parachute failed.

What happened during the 1950 mouse flight?

The mission took place on August 31, 1950, at White Sands Proving Ground, New Mexico. The launch site was Pad 33. The vehicle was a captured German V-2 rocket that had been modified for scientific research. It was used as part of the Blossom payload programme. Some records identify the vehicle as Blossom V-2 No. 51, while other accounts refer to the flight as Blossom 7.


The payload consisted of one unnamed mouse. The animal was not given anaesthesia before the launch. The purpose was to study biological responses during high-altitude and suborbital flight. Researchers also wanted to obtain physiological information and photographs during the journey.

Mission details

The main details of the mission were:

• Launch date: August 31, 1950
• Launch location: White Sands Proving Ground, Pad 33, New Mexico
• Rocket: Modified V-2 sounding rocket
• Programme: Blossom payload programme
• Payload: One unnamed, unanaesthetized mouse
• Altitude: About 136.4 miles, or 219.5 kilometres, in nominal performance records
• Purpose: To study biological responses and collect physiological information during high-altitude flight
• Documentation: An automated onboard camera photographed the mouse during flight
• Outcome: The recovery parachute failed and the capsule struck the ground at high speed
• Animal outcome: The mouse did not survive the impact

Why was a mouse sent on the rocket?

The mission was part of early research into biological effects of spaceflight. At the time, scientists did not have enough information about how living organisms would respond to conditions associated with high-altitude and suborbital flight. Before sending humans into space, researchers used animals to gather information.

The animal payloads allowed researchers to observe biological responses without placing a human crew on an experimental flight. The August 31 mission involved an unanaesthetized mouse so that researchers could record its condition during the flight. The mission also used an automated camera to obtain images. The experiment therefore combined a biological payload with instruments designed to document the flight.

How high did the V-2 rocket go?

The rocket reached about 136.4 miles, or 219.5 kilometres, under nominal performance figures. Another account of the flight gives the altitude as roughly 136 kilometres, or 85 miles. The difference comes from the figures used in different historical accounts.

At this height, the mission was part of the early work that preceded human spaceflight. V-2 rockets had been used as sounding rockets because they could carry scientific payloads to high altitudes.

The rocket itself was based on the German V-2 design. After the Second World War, captured V-2 rockets were used by the United States for testing and scientific experiments at White Sands.

How was the mouse recorded during the flight?

An automated camera was installed on the rocket. The camera successfully photographed the mouse while the rocket was in flight. These images provided documentation that the animal was present during the mission and allowed researchers to observe it during the journey.

The use of an onboard camera was part of the effort to collect information about biological responses during the flight. The experiment was not limited to sending the animal upward. Researchers also wanted information from the flight itself.

What happened when the rocket returned?

The rocket's flight performance was reported as normal. The problem occurred during recovery. The parachute system failed during re-entry. Because the parachute did not work as intended, the capsule could not make a controlled landing.

The capsule therefore struck the ground at high speed. The mouse did not survive the impact. This means the mission succeeded in reaching its intended altitude and photographing the animal during flight, but it did not result in the animal being recovered alive.

How does this mission fit into early animal spaceflight?

The 1950 mouse flight was part of a period when the United States used animals in rocket experiments. The V-2 rocket programme provided researchers with a way to send biological payloads to high altitudes. These experiments were used to collect information before human spaceflight missions were attempted.

The August 31 flight also followed an earlier American experiment involving a mammal. NASA's history of animals in space records the use of a V-2 rocket to send a rhesus monkey, Albert II, to an altitude associated with the early American animal-flight programme in 1949.

The use of animals continued in later space programmes. Researchers used different species to investigate the effects of acceleration, high altitude, weightlessness and other conditions connected with spaceflight.

What did the 1950 mission show?

The mission demonstrated that a biological payload could be carried into the upper atmosphere by a modified V-2 rocket and photographed during flight. It also showed the importance of recovery systems in animal experiments. Although the rocket reached the required altitude and the camera obtained photographs, the parachute failure meant the capsule could not be recovered safely.

The mouse's death occurred because of the impact during the failed recovery. The experiment is therefore remembered as part of the early history of animals being sent into space and the upper atmosphere for scientific research.

Why is the flight still discussed today?

The mission is discussed because it provides a record of the methods used during the early period of space research. Scientists had limited information about how living organisms would respond to conditions encountered during rocket flight. Animal experiments provided a way to collect biological information before crewed missions.

The V-2 programme also played a role in the development of American rocket research. Captured German rockets were used for scientific and engineering tests at White Sands. The August 31, 1950 mission combined these developments with a biological experiment involving a mouse.