A message for Humanity

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A message for Humanity

Monday, October 12, 2020

This is Albert, representing all the monkeys that NASA has been sending into space since 1948. Albert I, Albert II, Albert III and so on until they reached Albert XX, the last hero without a cape. There were many Alberts but there were also many others that were only simple numbers, because until the primates did not return to Earth alive they were not "baptized" with another name. For example, the first chimpanzee to survive a space flight, becoming the most mediatic to date, was called Ham once he stepped on Earth but before his success he was known simply as Number 65.

In 1961 Ham was in space for only 16 minutes. He survived the trip and died in 1983 at the age of 26.

Although not only the US has sent primates into space, each country had its own preferences: the US sent monkeys, France sent cats and Russia preferred to use dogs. Without a doubt, we all remember the dog Laika who, although unfortunately she was not the only dog ​​to die during the flight, did shock humanity by her death in 1957.

I like to draw Albert imagining that after his forced galactic experience he has freely chosen to continue his space career, thus joining the cow Samantha and the rest of the selenites who live there. I like to think that they are the aliens that "stalk" us and that if they could send a message to humanity it would be something like this...

This has been one of the drawings that I have taken the longest to do and that damn Faber-Castell has not made it easy for me.