Gordo (monkey) facts for kids
Gordo was one of the first monkeys to travel into space! He was also known as Old Reliable. Gordo was part of the NASA space program. He launched from Cape Canaveral on December 13, 1958. His ride was a U.S. PGM-19 Jupiter rocket on its AM-13 mission. The rocket flew over 1,500 miles and reached a height of 310 miles (500 km). It then started its return to Earth, aiming for the South Atlantic. Sadly, Gordo's parachute didn't open properly. Even after a search, his capsule and his body were never found.
Contents
Who Was Gordo?
Gordo was a type of squirrel monkey from South America. He was quite small, standing about one foot tall. He weighed between 1 and 1.5 kilograms (about 2 to 3 pounds).
Scientists chose Gordo for space travel for a good reason. His body was very similar to a human's. He also reacted well to changes in temperature. Using monkeys in space for missions was not new. Other monkeys like Albert, Patricia, and Mike had already flown by 1962.
Gordo's Big Flight
Gordo's flight began very early in the morning. It was 3:53 AM EST on December 13, 1958. The Jupiter AM-13 rocket, carrying Gordo, launched from the Atlantic Missile Range at Cape Canaveral.
The rocket climbed very high, reaching 290 miles into space. It also traveled 1,300 miles across the Earth. Scientists watched Gordo closely during the flight. They found that he seemed fine. His heart rate slowed down a little, but he handled space and the feeling of weightlessness well.
Inside the Rocket
Gordo wore a special space suit made just for him. He also had instruments attached to him. These tools helped scientists check his health. For example, a thermometer measured his temperature. A microphone let them listen to him.
The Journey Home
The entire flight lasted 15 minutes. During this time, Gordo was weightless for 8.3 minutes. The spacecraft left Earth's atmosphere and then came back in very fast. It was traveling over 10,000 miles per hour!
As the capsule returned, Gordo's parachute did not work. This meant both he and his capsule were lost. Despite efforts to find them, they were never recovered. Scientists believe Gordo was still alive when the capsule hit the water.
What We Learned from Gordo
Even though Gordo was lost, NASA considered his mission a success. His flight helped scientists understand how the human body might react to space. It showed them how people could handle weightlessness. This mission helped calm worries about the difficulties of space travel.
Less than a year later, two other monkeys, Able and Baker, flew into space. They survived a similar journey. These advances were very important. However, the Russian Yuri Gagarin would later become the first human in space.
