Mercury-Atlas 5 (MA-5) was launched on November 29, 1961, carrying Enos, a chimpanzee. The spacecraft completed two orbits around the Earth before splashing down approximately 200 miles (320 km) south of Bermuda, making Enos the first primate from the United States and the third great ape to orbit the Earth.
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| A MA-5 launch cover from "SpaceCraft" postmarked at Patrick Air Force Base with a machine cancel on November 29, 1961. |
MA-5 was the final orbital qualification flight of the Mercury spacecraft before NASA committed to a manned orbital mission, carrying the chimpanzee Enos aboard Mercury spacecraft No. 9. Originally planned for three orbits, the mission was terminated after two when a roll reaction jet malfunctioned and an inverter in the electrical system overheated. Despite these problems, Enos successfully completed his assigned tasks, and both the chimpanzee and spacecraft were recovered safely. NASA judged the mission highly successful, demonstrating that the Mercury spacecraft was ready to support a human orbital flight.
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| Photo: Enos, the space chimpanzee, was launched into space and completed three orbits around the Earth on November 29, 1961. |
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| Photo: Staff members transporting ENOS to a van for the journey to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral. |
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| A MA-5 launch cover from "Goldcraft" postmarked at Port Canaveral with a hand cancel on November 29, 1961. |
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| Photo: ENOS dressed in his space flight suit. |
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| A MA-5 launch cover from "Sarzin" postmarked at Port Canaveral with a hand cancel on November 29, 1961. |
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| Photo: MA-5 launch on November 29, 1961. |
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| A MA-5 tracking station cover postmarked at Grand Turk Island with a hand cancel on November 29, 1961, signed by Joe Frasketi, who produced and serviced this cover. |
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| A Project Mercury stamp First Day Cover, postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a machine cancel on February 20, 1962, featuring a hand-painted cachet by artist Chris Henderson depicting Enos, the chimpanzee who became the first chimpanzee to orbit the Earth. |
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| Photo: Enos back at Cape Canaveral after his space flight. |
(Reference from
Mercury-Atlas 5)
