Adventure Almanac Episode 6 Space Elk
LISTEN & FOLLOW

Space Elk and The First GPS

Adventure Almanac Episode 6

In 1970, a herd of elk in Wyoming were the test subjects for experiments involving the Nimbus III weather satellite. It was the first attempt to track a living thing from space. These experiments played an important role in the development of GPS. It was the peak of the space race, and the story of the Space Elk and the development of satellite tracking was exciting and new. Newspapers around the world wrote about the Craighead brothers and Monique, and their research changed wildlife conservation practices forever. In this episode we follow the adventures of Monique and see how science doesn’t always work out as planned, but sometimes it makes an interesting story.

Listen to Episode 6, Space Elk And The First GPS, for a short story about the invention of GPS and a brief adventure across Wyoming. (12 minutes)

Listen Now: Apple Podcast | Spotify

This episode was researched, written, and produced by the team at Adventure Nerds.

Original music was written and performed by Christoper Esther. You can find more of Christopher’s work on YouTube.

Space Elk and the First GPS Resources and Bibliography:

The majority of the information for this episode was based on the research papers by Craighead, et. al.

Craighead,. J.J., Craighead, F.C., & Varney, J.R. (1971). Development of Satellite-Related Biotelemetry Equipment. NASA Research Grant NGR 27-002-006

Craighead, F.C., Craighead,. J.J., Cote, C.E., & Buechner, H.K. (1972). Satellite and Radio Ground Tracking of Elk.

NASA’s How GPS works and Nimbus 3 satellite.

Wilford, J.N. (1970). Radio Satellite to Track an Elk in Migration Study. New York Times.

Additional information and inspiration for the story was from Ben Goldfarb’s article in High Country News, Monique the Space Elk and the wild history of tracking wildlife.

Additional Information about the Space Elk and The First GPS

  • Let’s get to the big spoiler right out of the gate. Technically, there wasn’t a single Monique. There were three Moniques. Because male elk necks swell the radio and satellite collars could only be attached to females. Initially, they tested fake collars on two female elk. When it came time to swap out a test collar for the real collar, they accidentally tranquilized a different female elk. The collar fit, so they proceeded with the experiment. The collar didn’t turn on properly and unfortunately the elk had pneumonia and died a few days later.
  • Monique’s namesake, M.O.E, was an acronym for Meteorology, Oceanography, and Ecology.
  • The primary purpose of the Nimbus III satellite was to collect atmospheric data.
  • When the collar flipped upside down, the solar panels stopped working and so did the satellite tracking ability. The used planes and radio telemetry to track Monique from air and land.
  • The collar weighed 50 lbs, approximately the weight of a full set of antlers on an adult male.
  • The collar cost $25,000 in 1970. That was equal to approximately $150,000 in 2020 adjusted dollars.
  • Monique was accidentally shot and killed by hunters in November, 1970. She was still wearing the collar.

To listen to more Adventure Almanac episodes go to the podcast homepage: adventurenerds.com/podcasts

Sign up for our free newsletter: adventurenerds.com/newsletter/

Support the Adventure Almanac and Adventure Nerds today by going to: adventurenerds.com/membership

Previous Episodes: