December 7, 1959
SAM THE SPACE MONKEY: London – Sam, a rhesus monkey that was recently sent into space and has returned safely to Earth, was described as being «very calm» upon the creature’s return to our planet’s atmosphere. The commander of the warship which picked up the space module that carried the monkey back to Earth last Friday (December 4, 1959), said Sam’s only reaction was that of hunger. He was given apples and oranges, which he wolfed down greedily. The animal’s personal physician exchanged a handshake with his famous patient and later told the press that the monkey’s condition was «most satisfactory.» Sam spent the night in a cage in the ship’s sick bay and was then put back into the cylinder from the space module to be sent back to Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, and then on to San Antonio, Texas, for an intensive veterinary checkup. The monkey went into space in an enclosure measuring 90 centimeters by 40 centimeters and had been wearing a plastic suit to cushion its body as well as a belt with microscopic electronic sensors to monitor its heart and respiration during the long flight.
