Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Ms. Baker: Monkeynaut

Photographed By Sandra Hughes, September 20, 2016

1. Ms. Baker: Monkeynaut Marker

Inscription. Able, an American-born rhesus monkey, and Baker, a South American squirrel monkey, were launched on May 28, 1959, aboard an Army Jupiter missile. Launched in the nose cone, the two animals were carried to a 300-mile altitude, and both were recovered unharmed. However, Able died June 1 on the operating table from effects of anesthesia, as doctors were about to remove an electrode from under her skin. Baker died of kidney failure in 1984 at age 27 after living a pampered life in retirement at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Animals • Exploration. A significant historical date for this entry is May 28, 1959.

Location. 34° 42.716′ N, 86° 39.233′ W. Marker is in Huntsville, Alabama, in Madison County. Marker can be reached from Tranquility Base, half a mile west of Madison Pike, on the left when traveling west. This marker can be seen at the entrance of the Space & Rocket Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Tranquility Base, Huntsville AL 35805, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. U.S. Army PGM-19 Jupiter (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); T-38 Talon (about 400 feet away); Pathfinder Orbiter (about 500 feet away); U.S. Army/NASA Juno II (about 600

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feet away); Main Engines (about 600 feet away); External Tank (about 600 feet away); NASA / U.S. Geological Survey (about 600 feet away); U.S. Army PGM-11 Redstone (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Huntsville.

Regarding Ms. Baker: Monkeynaut. Able and Baker are the Army’s words for letters A and B.

Also see . . .
1. Wikipedia entry for Miss Baker. “The squirrel monkey who was to become known as Miss Baker was purchased along with 25 other squirrel monkeys at a pet shop in Miami, Florida, and brought to the Naval Aviation Medical School in Pensacola.” (Submitted on May 25, 2019.)

2. U.S. Space & Rocket Center. (Submitted on September 26, 2016.)

Photographed By Sandra Hughes, September 20, 2016

2. Miss Baker

Squirrel Monkey, born 1957, died Nov 29, 1984. First U.S. animal to fly in space and return alive, May 28, 1959.

Army Ballistic Missile Agency, via Wikipedia Commons, 1959

3. Miss Baker

Ms. Baker Memorial image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Joy Rosales, circa September 28, 2023

4. Ms. Baker Memorial

Photographed By Joy Rosales, circa September 30, 2023

5. Ms. Baker: Monkeynaut Marker

Grave of her spouse. With bananas

Credits. This page was last revised on January 15, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 26, 2016, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 1,248 times since then and 562 times this year. Last updated on January 13, 2024, by Ben Weizer of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 26, 2016, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. 3. submitted on May 25, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 4. submitted on September 28, 2023, by Joy Rosales of Huntsville, Alabama. 5. submitted on September 30, 2023, by Joy Rosales of Huntsville, Alabama. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.