Idaho Skies Transcript for June 11th and 12th

PAUL

Welcome to Idaho Skies for June 11^th and 12^th. We’re your hosts, Paul…

 

RACHEL

…and Rachel.

 

PAUL

At the end of World War II, the US and its allies made a rush to capture German technology.

 

RACHEL

This included the V-2 missile, the first rocket to reach outer space.

 

PAUL

Americans sent their captured missiles to the White Sands Missile Test Range in New Mexico.

 

RACHEL

Americans, along with German engineers and technicians prepared many of the V-2s for launch.

 

PAUL

The tests gave American soldiers the missile-handling experience that they badly needed.

 

RACHEL

However, not all of the missiles were used for military testing.

 

PAUL

That’s right. Many of them were reserved for scientific research.

 

RACHEL

Example experiments included launching Geiger counters to measure cosmic radiation.

 

PAUL

And spectrometers to measure solar radiation not visible from Earth’s surface.

 

RACHEL

In addition, primates were launched inside some V-2 missiles to test the effects of spaceflight on animals.

 

PAUL

There were four primates launched on the V-2 missiles and all of them were named Albert.

 

RACHEL

They were three Rhesus monkeys and one a long-tailed macaque.

 

PAUL

The first one, Albert I was launched 70 years ago on the 11^th.

 

RACHEL

Sadly, spaceflight technology wasn’t very advanced in the 1940s.

 

PAUL

And all four primates died from either suffocation, rocket explosions, or parachute malfunctions.

 

RACHEL

It wasn’t until May of 1959 that the United States successfully recovered primates after their space flights.

  

PAUL

That’s Idaho Skies for the 11^th and 12^th of June.

 

RACHEL

Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.

 

For Idaho Skies this is Rachel…

 

PAUL

…and Paul.

 

RACHEL

Dark skies and bright stars.