![Lot 6424 STS-51-B Monkey Pellets and Teleprinted Message [Attested Flown] - From the Personal Collection of William E. Thornton](https://cdn.rrauction.com/auction/752/3518021_1.jpg)
![Lot #6424 STS-51-B Monkey Pellets and Teleprinted Message [Attested Flown] - From the Personal Collection of William E. Thornton - Image 2](https://cdn.rrauction.com/auction/752/3518021_2.jpg)
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Two items related to the squirrel monkeys held in the Research Animal Holding Facility (RAHF) on Spacelab 3 on board the Space Shuttle Challenger during STS-51-B, attested as flown on the mission. Includes:
- a small resealable bag containing 20+ small pellets of banana-flavored pellets, labeled in black felt tip in the hand of William E. Thornton: "Monkey Food, SL-3—Flt." The gum-ball machine–inspired primate feeder used twelve spring-loaded tubes to dispense food pellets one at a time into an accessible cup when the monkey activated a switch, with the feeding rate programmable to match its trained routine.
- an in-flight teleprinted fax, 8.25 x 7.5, with handwritten in-flight notations responding to inquiries about incidents in the facility: "Primates: When did monkey waste incident occur? Probably No. 2 when cage 1st opened - Pellet in Orb. today. 2. Any incidents today? Caught them I think. 3. Have the monkey cages been taped around the cage perimeter and the gap between the waste tray and cage? Yes."
In overall very good to fine condition, with several small splits to the resealable bag.
These unusual flown artifacts offer a tangible glimpse into the care and management of the two squirrel monkeys carried aboard Space Shuttle Challenger during STS-51-B’s Spacelab 3 mission. The bag of banana-flavored food pellets relates directly to the specialized automated feeding system used in the Research Animal Holding Facility, while the in-flight teleprinted message documents the crew’s practical response to waste-containment issues encountered with the primate cages. Together, they illustrate both the carefully engineered routines and the unpredictable realities of conducting animal research in microgravity.
Attested as flown by the William E. Thornton estate.
From the William E. Thornton Collection.
