Enos (chimpanzee) facts for kids
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Enos, the only chimpanzee and third primate to orbit the Earth
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| Species | Chimpanzee |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Born | 1957 |
| Died | November 4, 1962 (aged 4–5) |
| Employer | NASA |
| Notable role | Only chimpanzee to achieve Earth orbit |
| Years active | 1960–1962 |
Enos was a chimpanzee who made history. He was born around 1957 and died on November 4, 1962. Enos was the second chimpanzee sent into space by NASA. He was also the first and only chimpanzee to orbit Earth. Only two human cosmonauts, Yuri Gagarin and Gherman Titov, had orbited Earth before him. Enos's space flight happened on November 29, 1961.
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Getting Ready for Space
Enos came from the Miami Rare Bird Farm on April 3, 1960. He spent over 1,250 hours training for his space mission. This training took place at the University of Kentucky and Holloman Air Force Base.
His training was tougher than that of Ham. Ham was the first great ape in space in January 1961. Enos had to get used to feeling weightlessness and stronger gs for longer times. His training included learning tasks and flying in airplanes.
The Historic Space Flight
Enos was chosen for his Project Mercury flight just three days before launch. Two months earlier, NASA had sent Mercury-Atlas 4 into space. That mission had a "crewman simulator" instead of a live animal.
Enos flew into space aboard Mercury-Atlas 5 on November 29, 1961. He completed his first orbit around Earth in 1 hour and 28.5 minutes.
Enos was supposed to complete three orbits. However, the mission ended after two orbits. This was because of two problems. The capsule was getting too hot. Also, a test designed to make Enos avoid certain actions was not working right. This test gave him 76 small electric shocks.
Even with these problems, Enos did a great job. He performed all the tasks he had learned during his flight. The flight lasted over three hours. Enos showed that he understood his mission and worked hard to complete it.
After the Mission
After his flight, Enos's capsule was brought onto the ship USS Stormes. His Air Force handlers quickly took him below deck. The ship arrived in Bermuda the next day.
Enos's flight was a very important test. It was a practice run for the next Mercury launch. That launch happened on February 20, 1962. It made John Glenn the first American to orbit Earth. Other astronauts like Alan Shepard, Jr. and Gus Grissom had already made successful shorter space flights.
Enos's Later Life
Enos died on November 4, 1962. He passed away from a stomach illness called shigellosis-related dysentery. This illness was hard to treat with the medicines available at the time. Scientists watched him closely for two months before he died. Doctors said that his death was not related to his space flight.
See also
- Monkeys and apes in space
- Albert II, first monkey and first primate in space
- Animals in space
- Félicette: First cat in space
