RANDOM MONKEY FACTOID ABOUT - Albert, The First Monkey In Space! This rhesus monkey went into space on June 11, 1948, aboard a V2 rocket. Albert began his astronaut career after being launched from a base at White Sands, New Mexico, by the American space program. His flight ended in tragedy as he suffocated and died in the V-2 Blossom rocket. Albert was the first in a series of monkeys sent into space to test the safety of space travel for humans. Other monkeys also gave their lives in the name of science and space exploration: Albert IV survived a space flight in 1949. Unfortunately, Albert IV died on impact as the rocket landed.
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