In 1987, Bion 8 carried monkeys Yerosha and Dryoma for 13 days; Yerosha escaped part of his restraints before the capsule landed 1,850 miles off targetThe Soviet Bion program studied weightlessness effects using rhesus macaques. Bion 8 launched in 1987 with two monkeys, Yerosha and Dryoma....
31 Aug, 2026, 07.40 PM IST
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...
31 Aug, 2026, 06.30 PM IST
In 1974, Skylab 4 astronauts returned after 84 days in orbit; flipped circuit breakers cut pitch-and-yaw control before Carr used backup mode for reentryThe Skylab 4 mission set a new record with astronauts spending 84 days in space, where they conducted crucial scientific experiments while ...
31 Aug, 2026, 02.29 PM IST
ISRO’s ‘Bahubali’ draws big industry interest as L&T, Adani, others eye rocket technologyLarsen & Toubro, JSW, Adani Group and Mahindra are among companies considering bids to manufacture and operate ISRO’s LVM3 heavy-lift rocke...
31 Aug, 2026, 06.00 AM IST
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...
30 Aug, 2026, 06.53 PM IST
In 1961, America sent its first astronaut into space. 15 minutes later, he was back on EarthOn May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard made history as the first American to reach space, completing a spectacular 15-minute journey aboard Freedom 7...
30 Aug, 2026, 02.31 PM IST
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 ...
29 Aug, 2026, 08.26 PM IST
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...
29 Aug, 2026, 07.20 PM IST
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...
29 Aug, 2026, 07.10 PM IST
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,...
29 Aug, 2026, 07.00 PM IST
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...
29 Aug, 2026, 06.50 PM IST
America's new moon heroes: Trump honours NASA’s Artemis II crew, unveils Space Academy, eyes Mars nextThe Artemis II astronauts received the nation's highest space honor for their lunar flyby. Commander Reid Wiseman and his crew were recogni...
29 Aug, 2026, 11.57 AM IST
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...
28 Aug, 2026, 03.50 PM IST
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...
28 Aug, 2026, 01.30 PM IST
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...
28 Aug, 2026, 01.20 PM IST
In 1994, the space shuttle Discovery held a Wake Shield disk behind it while still attached to its robot arm; the facility produced 5 good semiconductor filmsIn 1994, the space shuttle Discovery transported the Wake Shield Facility, designed to establish an ultra-clean vacuum environment. This gr...
28 Aug, 2026, 01.10 PM IST
In 1989, the space shuttle Discovery carried 32 fertilized chicken eggs for 5 days; all 16 early embryos died, while 8 older embryos later hatched without anatomical malformationsIn 1989, the space shuttle Discovery transported thirty-two fertilized chicken eggs into microgravity. Although younger embryos did not end...
28 Aug, 2026, 01.00 PM IST