.jpg) Enos, the only chimpanzee and third primate to orbit the Earth | |
| Species | Chimpanzee |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Born | 1957 (1957) |
| Died | November 4, 1962(1962-11-04) (aged 4–5) |
| Employer | NASA |
| Notable role | Only chimpanzee to achieve Earth orbit |
| Years active | 1960–1962 |
Enos (born about 1957 – died November 4, 1962) was achimpanzee launched into space byNASA, following his predecessorHam. He was the only chimpanzee to orbit the Earth,[1] and the thirdhominid to do so aftercosmonautsYuri Gagarin andGherman Titov. Enos's flight occurred on November 29, 1961.[2]
Enos was brought from theMiami Rare Bird Farm on April 3, 1960. He completed more than 1,250 training hours at theUniversity of Kentucky andHolloman Air Force Base. Training was more intense for him than forHam, who had become the first great ape in space in January 1961, because Enos was exposed toweightlessness and highergs for longer periods of time. His training included psychomotor instruction and aircraft flights.[citation needed]
Enos was selected for hisProject Mercury flight only three days before launch. Two months prior,NASA launchedMercury-Atlas 4 on September 13, 1961, to conduct an identical mission with a "crewman simulator" on board. Enos flew into space aboardMercury-Atlas 5 on November 29, 1961. He completed his first orbit in 1 hour and 28.5 minutes.[3]
Enos was scheduled to complete three orbits, but the mission was aborted after two, due to two issues: capsule overheating and a malfunctioning "avoidance conditioning" test subjecting the primate to 76 electrical shocks. According to one history of primatology, "The chimpanzee, about five years old, behaved like a true hero: despite the malfunctions of the electronic system, he conscientiously performed all the tasks he had learned during the entire flight of over three hours...Enos demonstrated that he was careful to successfully complete his mission and that he perfectly understood what was expected of him."[4]
After his space capsule made an ocean landing, Enos "had become angry and frustrated at the three-hour wait" before being retrieved by U.S. Navy seamen.[5][6]
The capsule was brought aboardUSS Stormes in the late afternoon[7] and Enos was immediately taken below deck by his Air Force handlers.Stormes then dropped Enos at theKindley Air Force Base hospital inBermuda, where he was found to be in good shape. On December 1, 1961 Enos left Bermuda for Cape Canaveral, and eventually Holloman Air Force Base.[8]
Enos's flight was a full dress rehearsal for the next Mercury launch on February 20, 1962, which would makeJohn Glenn the first American to orbit Earth.
Enos was nicknamed "the Penis," allegedly due to his frequent fondling of himself,[9] though this is disputed by author Mary Roach in her bookPacking for Mars, instead suggesting that Enos earned this nickname by being difficult to work with.
On November 4, 1962, Enos died ofshigellosis-relateddysentery, which was resistant to then-known antibiotics. He was constantly observed for two months before his death. Pathologists reported no symptoms that could be attributed or related to his previous space flight.
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