Space Pioneers: Animals That Paved the Way for Human Space Exploration

Over the past 70 years, American and Soviet scientists have used the animal world for testing. Despite losses, these animals have taught the scientists a tremendous amount more than could have been learned without them. Without animal testing in the early days of the human space program, the Soviet and American programs could have suffered great losses of human life. These animals performed a service to their respective countries that no human could or would have performed. They gave their lives and/or their service in the name of technological advancement. This book aims to tell the story of some of those animals that were space pioneers paving the way for human space exploration. The author of this book met four of these animals (Able, Baker, Ham, and Enos) when these primates were housed at the Miami Rare Bird Farm in the 1950s before they were involved in the American space program.