Albert
On June 11, 1948, Albert I - the first monkey astronaut - launched into space on a V-2 Blossom III rocket from White Sands Proving Ground, a NASA space station in New Mexico. The first of four monkeys (Albert I-IV) launched into space between June 1948 and December 1949, Albert was the original monkey pioneer.
Albert's journey would begin a fruitful period of research for NASA which would culminate in Neil Armstrong's momentous journey to the moon. One small step for man, one giant leap for primatekind. Sadly, a lack of fanfare resulted in Albert I remaining an unsung hero of animal astronauts.
