953 nut 59,757 #1 Posted November 29, 2016 11-29-1961 First U.S. animal to orbit the Earth Enos, a 5-year-old chimpanzee, is launched aboard the Mercury-Atlas 5 satellite. He orbited the Earth twice and was recovered later in the day. Enos was brought from the Miami Rare Bird Farm on April 3, 1960. He completed more than 1,250 training hours at the University of Kentucky and Holloman Air Force Base. Training was more intense for him than for his predecessor Ham, because Enos was exposed to weightlessness and higher gs for longer periods of time. His training included psychomotor instruction and aircraft flights. Enos was selected for flight only three days before launch. Two months prior, NASA launched Mercury Atlas 4 on September 13, 1961, to conduct an identical mission with a "crewman simulator" on board. Enos flew into space aboard Mercury Atlas 5 on November 29, 1961. He completed his first orbit in 1 hour and 28.5 minutes.[1] Enos was scheduled to complete three orbits, but the mission was aborted after two due to two issues: capsule overheating and a malfunctioning "avoidance conditioning" test subjecting the primate to 76 electrical shocks. The capsule was brought aboard the USS Stormes (DD-780) in the late afternoon and Enos was immediately taken below deck by his Air Force handlers. The Stormes arrived in Bermuda the next day. Enos's flight was a full dress rehearsal for the next Mercury launch on February 20, 1962, which would make Lt. Colonel John Glenn the first American to orbit Earth 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
