The monkeys were named Able, a 7 pound female rhesus monkey, and Baker, a 1 pound female spider monkey.

They were shot 300 miles into space in a Jupiter missile AM-18 from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

The flight only lasted 15 minutes and they reached speeds of 10,000 mph; they were weightless for 9 minutes. They were recovered, apparently unharmed, 1500 miles away near Puerto Rico.

The flight was criticized by animal welfare groups.

A statement from the League Against Cruel Sports read:

"Such action as this falls within the category of scientific devilry rather than scientific research."