CAPE KENNEDY (Florida): A three-year old monkey from Thailand went into a 30-day earth orbit here last night [June 28] in an experiment designed to test the effects of prolonged weightlessness. The monkey, named Bonny, blasted into orbit atop a two-stage Delta rocket ... scheduled to follow a circular path 250 miles (402 kilometres) above the earth’s surface.

If this programme goes according to plan, Bonny will return to earth as the holder of the record for the longest space flight by a living being, beating by a wide margin the two Soviet dogs that spent 22 days aloft in 1966.

As he was placed in his space cabin today, Bonny, who has undergone a rigorous training programme, was obviously in top form despite the electrodes placed deep in his brain, in his heart and in other vital organs. ... During the 30-day trip, Bonny will be submitted almost daily to tests for his memory and the co-ordination between his sight and actions. Like his human colleagues, Bon­ny will be fed with specially prepared products.

... Fifteen minutes after blast-off, the 1,536 pound (697.7 kilos) capsule was already in orbit and NASA officials said nothing abnormal has been noted in Bonny’s reaction. His breathing, blood pressure and pulse were all normal. — Agency

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2019