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Welcome to "On This Day ... in Space! " where we peer back in our archives to find historic moments in spaceflight and astronomy. So enjoy a blast from the past with Space.com's Hanneke Weitering to look back at what happened on this day in space!

On January 21, 1960, a monkey named Miss Sam launched on a Little Joe rocket to help NASA test the launch escape system for its new Mercury spacecraft.

This spacecraft would ultimately carry the first American astronauts into space. Miss Sam didn't fly all the way to space; the rocket only reached an altitude of about 9 miles.

Miss Sam, a Rhesus monkey, is prepared for her launch on NASA's Little Joe test flight during early days of the Mercury program. Miss Sam launched on Jan. 21, 1960 and safely returned to Earth.
Miss Sam, a Rhesus monkey, is prepared for her launch on NASA's Little Joe test flight during early days of the Mercury program. Miss Sam launched on Jan. 21, 1960 and safely returned to Earth.
Credit: NASA

To test her psychomotor performance during the flight, Miss Sam was trained to pull a lever using a light as a cue. She nailed the test and fared well during the 8.5-minute flight, and the escape system worked according to plan.

NASA launches the Little Joe rocket carrying the Rhesus monkey Miss Sam from the Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia on Jan. 21, 1960. The launch tested the emergency escape system for the Mercury spacecraft.
NASA launches the Little Joe rocket carrying the Rhesus monkey Miss Sam from the Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia on Jan. 21, 1960. The launch tested the emergency escape system for the Mercury spacecraft.
Credit: NASA

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Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her  @hannekescience . Follow us  @Spacedotcom  and on  Facebook .