In 1961, squirrel monkey Goliath launched from Cape Canaveral; rocket failed

Goliath weighed barely less than a carton of milk and stood just six inches tall, but he became a ‘Spaceman’, a feat he perhaps never understood or wanted. A squirrel monkey like him would hope to climb the forest canopy at best, rather than be sent on a space mission he could never have signed up for. Yet, on November 10, 1961, he found himself in a metal capsule, unrestrained, and launched from Cape Canaveral on an Atlas E rocket. He was on a mission to help Americans put more men into space. But just 35 seconds after liftoff, it veered violently off course, tragically ending Goliath’s adventure. That was one of the most tragic spaceflights of the early space programme.A short-lived space careerGoliath’s short-lived career is perhaps not celebrated as much as others in the history of space exploration.