Today in History 11/29/17

Enos being prepared for insertion into the Mercury-Atlas 5 capsule in 1961 (© NASA)(1961) Enos the chimp is launched in space and orbits Earth
Having completed 1,250 hours of training, Enos takes off from Cape Canaveral aboard the Mercury-Atlas 5, becoming the first chimp to successfully orbit the Earth. He’ll take two spins around the globe before splashing down near Bermuda. On the rescue boat, Enos will jump for joy and shake hands with his rescuers.
Enos was the second chimpanzee launched into space by NASA. He was the first chimpanzee, and third hominid after cosmonauts Yuri Gagarin and Gherman Titov, to achieve Earth orbit. Enos’ flight occurred on November 29, 1961.
Died: Nov 04, 1962
Space missions: Mercury-Atlas 5
Space agency: NASA

Mercury-Atlas 5 Enos with handler
Chimpanzee Enos with handler before Mercury-Atlas 5 flight Enos became the first chimp to orbit the earth on November 29, 1961, aboard a Mercury Atlas rocket. Although the mission plan originally called for three orbits, due to a malfunctioning thruster and other technical difficulties, flight controllers were forced to terminate Enos’ flight after two orbits. Enos landed in the recovery area and was picked up 75 minutes after splashdown. He was found to be in good overall condition and both he and the Mercury spacecraft performed well. His mission concluded the testing for a human orbital flight, achieved by John Glenn on February 20, 1962. Enos died at Holloman Air Force Base of a non-space related case of dysentery 11 months after his flight. For more information about Enos and other animals who have made the journey into space, visit: history.nasa.gov/animals.html

wiki/Enos_(chimpanzee)
4.6.n17

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