The Grave of Miss Baker: The United State’s First Monkeynaut
The first monkey to travel to space and return alive
Nestled in front of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL is a gravestone that sometimes has bananas sitting on top of it. Bananas, because monkeys love bananas, and the occupant of the grave, Miss Baker was a monkey, a squirrel monkey to be specific. She was also the first monkeynaut to travel to space and return to Earth alive.
Her contribution to space science opened the door for men and women across the globe to explore the Heavens. Without Miss Baker, no one would know the names Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Sally Ride, or John Glenn.
Miss Baker was born in 1957 in Iquitos, Peru and in 1959 was purchased, along with 25 other squirrel monkeys from a pet shop in Miami, FL. They were taken to the Naval Aviation Medical School in Pensacola, FL.
Just like screening astronauts, the monkeys had to go through a process to see which of them would stand the best chance of being successful in the mission. 14 of the monkeys showed the most promise as they tolerated confinement for up to 24 hours and being monitored constantly via electrodes stuck on their bodies.
Miss Baker easily stood out from the group because she was highly intelligent and had a…
