Space Monkeys! : remembering the nonhuman astronauts in US space exploration / John Alexander Lynch.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lynch, John (John Alexander), 1976- author.

Series:

Rhetoric, culture, and social critique

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Animal space flight.

Chimpanzees as laboratory animals.

Monkeys as laboratory animals.

Physical Description:

x, 176 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Tuscaloosa : The University of Alabama Press, [2026]

Summary:

Before humans ever left Earth's atmosphere, a handful of primates paved the way - earning fame and fascination but leaving behind a complicated and often highly debated legacy. As the Cold War intensified, the US space program turned to monkeys - Able, Baker, Ham, and Enos - to test and explore the limits of human survival in space. These animals became media sensations, museum exhibits, and symbols of American ingenuity, even as their suffering was often overlooked. With insight and empathy, Lynch unpacks the stories we tell about these primates and how they are remembered through culture and time, both modern and historically. Lynch argues that the public memory of these animals often justifies their use in the name of scientific progress. Sometimes they are portrayed as tools, other times as human stand-ins, and frequently as objects of sympathy - but rarely as subjects of critique. Lynch shows how feelings - compassion, cuteness, patriotism, and the technological sublime -shape the stories we tell about these animals and the ethical frameworks we build around them. Each chapter focuses on a different genre of memory-making, from newspaper and photojournalism to museum exhibits, children's literature, and fictional films. By reframing these animal pioneers, Lynch uncovers the ethical and emotional narratives that shape how we remember science. Space Monkeys! is a vital reflection on memory, identity, and the more-than-human costs of progress.

Contents:

Introduction : hey, hey, we're the space monkeys!

Text and image : space monkeys in print news

Museum monkeys

"Once upon a rocket..." : space monkeys in children's books

Space monkeys at the movies

Criticizing that (space) monkey business

Conclusion : primate affiliation along the utopian frontier.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 161-171) and index.

ISBN:

0817362525

9780817362522

0817322612

9780817322618

OCLC:

1514660042