What was the name of the first astronaut put into space by NASA?

Arpeggionist

Alan Shepard Apr 01 04, 2:20 AM

sequoianoir

The first American astronaut was called GORDO ! He was in the nose cone of a 50 ton Jupiter AM-13, which usually carries intermediate-range missiles. It was fired by the army from Cape Canaveral in Florida on the morning of December 15th 1958. The flight lasted 15 minutes during which Gordo survived a 300 mile journey into space and then travelled more than 1,500 miles in the rocket until it dropped in the South Atlantic. Unfortunately a technical problem with the recovery gear meant a parachute failed to open and the nose-cone sank taking Gordo with it. The US Army abandoned the search after six hours. Gordo, a South American breed of squirrel monkey, about one foot (30cm) tall and weighing between two and three pounds (1-1.5kg), was chosen because it has a similar anatomical make-up to man. Apr 01 04, 7:00 AM