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ANIMAL TEST FLIGHTS
In 2005, NASA flew five thick-toed geckos aboard Foton-M2 for 16 days without food or water; all were recovered with no apparent negative health effectsFive geckos orbited Earth for sixteen days without food or water. Researchers studied how weightlessness affects these cold-blooded animals...
In 2003, researchers found freshwater snails had mated in space; their gravity-sensing statoconia were 50% larger by volume than matched ground controlsExperiments conducted aboard the Space Shuttle demonstrated that pond snails bred in microgravity possessed larger gravity-sensing structur...
In 1960, NASA launched rhesus monkey Miss Sam to test Mercury's escape system, and she reached 1,800 mph and 9 miles, then returned in overall good conditionMiss Sam, a rhesus monkey, played a pivotal role in NASA's launch escape system testing, demonstrating the system's ability to safely eject...
A 1.5-pound squirrel monkey named Goliath was launched into space in 1961; 35 seconds later, his Atlas E rocket was destroyedIn an unfortunate chapter of space exploration, a squirrel monkey named Goliath found himself amidst America's fierce space race. His ill-f...
In 1969, NASA launched Bonnie the monkey for a planned 30 days in orbit; his condition deteriorated after about 8 days, and the mission was ended earlyIn 1969, a brave monkey named Bonnie embarked on a solo space voyage aboard Biosatellite III. Unfortunately, his mission was cut short due ...
In 1959, Able and Baker survived a 300-mile Jupiter rocket flight; Able died during surgery four days later, while Baker lived to 27In 1959, two brave monkeys named Able and Baker embarked on a historic space mission. Tragically, Able passed away just four days post-miss...
In 1951, Soviet dog Smelaya ran away before her rocket launch; after she returned, she flew safely with MalyshkaDuring the initial experiments in space exploration, Soviet engineers evaluated dogs for their survival skills during launch. Female dogs w...
In 1951, Soviet space dog Bobik escaped before launch; scientists found a stray near the canteen, named her ZIB, and sent her 100 km up before a safe returnA stray dog known as ZIB unexpectedly filled in for a canine that went missing just before a Soviet rocket launch. With no training at all,...
In 1952, Patricia and Mike rode an Aerobee 36 miles up at 2,000 mph; both monkeys returned safely after scientists compared seated and prone acceleration effectsIn 1952, two Philippine monkeys named Patricia and Mike embarked on a historic journey aboard a rocket. Scientists sought to understand how...
In 1951, Yorick the monkey and 11 mice rode an Aerobee rocket to 236,000 feet; the flight showed animals could survive launch and landing, though Yorick died after touchdownIn 1951, a rhesus monkey named Yorick embarked on a groundbreaking mission aboard a rocket, soaring nearly forty-five miles above the New M...
In 1948, Idaho officials used World War II parachutes to drop 76 beavers into the wilderness in one of America’s strangest conservation experimentsIdaho officials used World War II parachutes to move beavers. Special crates were designed for aerial drops into remote wilderness areas. T...
In 1958, the US launched Gordo the squirrel monkey 300 miles above Earth; he endured 8.3 minutes of weightlessness and 40 g during re-entry, but died after his capsule sank at seaIn the historic space flight of 1958, Gordo, a courageous squirrel monkey, faced intense conditions that ultimately validated human surviva...
In 1961, NASA sent Ham the chimpanzee 157 miles above Earth to test whether a primate could work in space; he completed a 16-minute flight and returned safelyChimpanzee Ham made history in 1961 when he soared into space aboard a Mercury-Redstone rocket. His mission aimed to assess the capabilitie...
On STS-51B, NASA flew 24 rats and 2 squirrel monkeys with Spacelab-3; one monkey showed space sickness while the rats returned with muscle lossIn 1985, Challenger carried rats and monkeys to study microgravity's effects. One monkey experienced space sickness, mirroring human astron...
In 1968, two Afghan tortoises who beat humans to the Moon lost 10% of their weight - They flew around the moon on Soviet Zond 5 and returned alive 3 months before Apollo 8In September 1968, two tortoises made history as the first animals to orbit the Moon and safely return to Earth aboard the Soviet Zond 5 sp...
A dog wouldn’t leave this airline passenger alone. Months later, a routine check-up explained its strange behaviourA woman on a flight found herself repeatedly pawed by a medical alert dog, prompting its owner to explain that such behaviour could signal ...
In 1994, NASA raised jellyfish in orbit to study their sense of balance; they developed normally but had trouble swimming under Earth’s gravityNASA ventured into the unknown in 1994 by studying baby jellyfish in orbit. The jellyfish managed to develop vital sensory adaptations for ...
A Harvard psychologist in 1943 wanted pigeons to guide missiles during World War II. Eight decades later, it earned him an Ig Nobel Peace PrizeDuring World War II, B.F. Skinner developed Project Pigeon to guide missiles. Trained pigeons pecked at screens, steering weapons toward en...
Buffett’s way of looking at businesses, or what we call stocks: The great, the good and the gruesomeGrowth is supposed to be the thing you want in a business. Warren Buffett spent one of his sharpest letters explaining why that is often wr...
In 2017, hundreds of fossil eggs in China revealed that Pterosaurs or ancient flying reptiles may have raised their youngIn a remarkable discovery, paleontologists in China unearthed hundreds of fossilized pterosaur eggs and bones, dating back 120 million year...