January 21, 1960

Posted on January 21, 2019 by Joel Byers

On January 21, 1960, the Little Joe 1B was launched from Wallops Island, Virginia. The Little Joe 1B was a launch escape system (LES) test of the Mercury spacecraft. The only passenger was a female rhesus monkey named Miss Sam. The capsule flew to a height of 9.3 miles and a range of 11.7 miles and was successfully recovered in 45 minutes by a Marine helicopter. NASA stated that the eight minute flight and test was a success as Miss Sam survived the launch and ocean landing. Miss Sam was one of many rhesus monkeys used in the space flight research by both Americans and Russians. There is no reliable information that Miss Sam developed psychic abilities due to her space-flight, but her handlers did start bringing her the best of the fresh fruits and set up play-dates with the male rhesus monkeys with the silkiest fur.

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About Joel Byers

Born in North Georgia and educated at some very fine public institutions. Real education started after graduating from college and then getting married and raising two boys. Has the ability to see the funny and absurd in most things and will always remark on it, even if it means getting the stink-eye from his victims.
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