On This Day In Alabama History: Miss Baker Flew Into Space

By Alabama NewsCenter Staff

May 28, 1959

The Alabama Animal Hall of Fame has a famous eagle, two horses and lots of other animals but among the inductees is just one monkey: Miss Baker. On May 28, 1959, the little squirrel monkey was catapulted into space aboard a Jupiter rocket with Miss Able, a rhesus monkey, and they became the first mammals to return to Earth alive after spaceflight. The pair appeared on the cover of Life magazine on June 15, 1959, then Miss Baker lived at the Naval Aerospace Medical Center in Pensacola, Florida, until moving in 1971 to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville. She received about 100-150 letters a day from schoolchildren, many of whom she entertained on tours. On Nov. 29, 1984, 27-year-old Miss Baker suffered kidney failure and died at Auburn University’s Veterinary Clinic. She was the oldest living squirrel monkey and is buried at the Space & Rocket Center.

Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.

Please visit Alabama News Center for the Full Article

Tags: exp6

Category: ALL POSTS, Partner News Stories