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Animals have been used in space science research since the beginning of the space age.

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Animals have been used in space science research since the beginning of the space age. ... Three more V2 flights took place in 1949 ... Buzz Aldrin on the Moon ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Animals have been used in space science research since the beginning of the space age.


1
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2
A Brief History of Animals in Space
  • Animals have been used in space science research
    since the beginning of the space age.
  • Both the United States and Soviet/Russian space
    programs used animals to collect medical
    information and test the concepts used to put
    humans in space.

3
Early Days of Animal Spaceflight
  • In 1948 a rhesus monkey named Albert was
    launched on a sub-orbital flight aboard a V2.
  • Three more V2 flights took place in 1949
    involving monkeys named Albert II, Albert III and
    Albert IV.
  • Unfortunately none of these animals survived due
    to mechanical failures.

V2 rocket
4
1950s
  • In the 1950s the US developed a new, more
    reliable rocket called the Aerobee.
  • The first launch of the Aerobee rocket carried a
    monkey named Albert V.
  • Unfortunately this rocket also crashed after
    failure of its parachute system.

Aerobee rocket launch
5
1950s
  • Finally in September 1951 an Aerobee rocket
    carrying a rhesus monkey named Albert VI along
    with 11 mice survived a flight into space.
  • Sadly Albert VI died two hours after landing.

6
1950s
  • In May 1952 two Phillipine macaque monkeys named
    Patricia and Michael were launched on the third
    Aerobee launch.
  • The flight was a resounding success and both were
    recovered in good health - a big step forward for
    American space flight.

7
1950s
  • While the US were using monkeys in their testing
    the Soviets had decided to use dogs.
  • In July 1951 the Soviet Union launched two dogs
    Tsygan and Dezik into space on a R-1 rocket
  • Both dogs survived the flight.

Soviet Space Dog
8
1950s
  • On November 3, 1957 the Soviets launched Sputnik
    2 carrying a dog named Laika.
  • She became the first animal to orbit the Earth.

Laika
9
1950s
  • Laika died just a few hours after launch due to
    stress and overheating
  • Although she did not survive her flight proved
    that a living organism could be launched into
    orbit and survive microgravity.

Laika in her capsule prior to launch
10
1950s
  • In December 1958 the US launched a squirrel
    monkey named Gordo aboard a Jupiter rocket.
  • The parachute system failed and unfortunately
    Gordo was lost.

Gordo the squirrel monkey
11
1950s
  • After Gordo two monkeys were selected for the
    next biological flight, Able and Baker.
  • Able and Baker were launched on a Jupiter rocket
    on May 28, 1959.
  • The flight went flawlessly with the monkeys
    experiencing 9 minutes of weightlessness before
    returning safely.

Able and Baker
12
1950s
  • Able died 4 days after the mission during surgery
    to remove an infected electrode.
  • Baker lived until the ripe old age of 27, dying
    in 1984.
  • She even celebrated her 21st birthday with 1000
    guests being presented with a jelly cake made
    with strawberries and bananas.

Baker the squirrel monkey
13
1960s
  • Russia continued sending dogs into space.
  • Belka and Strelka spent a day in orbit aboard
    Sputnik 5 on August 19, 1960 and were
    successfully returned to Earth.
  • They became the first Earth born creatures to
    orbit the Earth and return alive.

Strelka and Belka
14
1960s
  • In January 1961 Ham the chimpanzee was launched
    into space.
  • He had been trained to pull levers to receive
    banana pellets and avoid electric shocks.
  • His flight demonstrated the ability to perform
    tasks in microgravity.

Ham being greeted by the recovery ships commander
after his flight
15
1960s
  • On April 12, 1961 Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin
    became the first human in space and also the
    first to orbit the Earth.
  • This was followed by American Alan B. Shepards
    suborbital flight on May 5, 1961

Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin the first man in
space (Source The Russian Institute of
Radionavigation and Time)
16
1960s
  • A chimpanzee named Enos became the first chimp to
    orbit the Earth in November 1961.
  • Enos paved the way for American John Glenn to
    orbit the Earth.

Enos on launch day
17
1960s
  • In the Soviet Union the dogs Veterok and Ugolyok
    were launched aboard Kosmos 110 on February 22,
    1966 and spent 22 days in orbit.
  • This record breaking flight was not surpassed by
    humans until 1974.

Veterok and Ugolyok on a Russian postal stamp in
1966
18
1960s
  • After the Moon landing in July 1969 the role of
    animals in space was downgraded to biological
    research payloads.
  • Their role became helping us understand the long
    term health effects associated with the space
    environment

Buzz Aldrin on the Moon
19
Continued Research on Animals in Space
  • When the space shuttle was first launched in 1981
    it provided the perfect platform for scientists
    and researchers to undertake experiments on
    animals in space.

20
Continued Research on Animals in Space
  • The use of animals on the Space Shuttle has
    greatly advanced the understanding of gravity on
    physiology, improved the ability of astronauts to
    live and work in space and tested new medical
    therapies for use back on Earth.

An astronaut examines a newt aboard the Space
Shuttle
21
Continued Research on Animals in Space
  • Throughout the 1990s research continued on a wide
    variety of animals to study the effect of
    microgravity on biology including crickets, mice,
    rats, frogs, newts, fruit flies, snails, fish,
    insect eggs, quail eggs and more.

22
Continued Research on Animals in Space
  • Australia launched animals into space in 2003,
    Glen Waverly Secondary College supported by RMIT
    University, Melbourne Zoo and the Department of
    Education launched spiders into space aboard the
    Space Shuttle Columbia.
  • The aim of the experiment was to study the
    composition of spider webs in microgravity for
    materials research.
  • Unfortunately this was the ill fated flight in
    which the Space Shuttle was lost on re-entry to
    the Earths atmosphere.

23
Animals The Pioneers of Spaceflight
  • Throughout the early days of spaceflight animals
    played a vital role in testing the initial
    spacecraft and technology needed to put humans
    into space.
  • They deserve to be remembered as the real
    pioneers of space flight.
  • Even today animals play a vital role in
    furthering our understanding of the space
    environment.
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