May 9, 2011

Research institute honors spaceflight pioneer Joseph Brady

Behavioral neuroscientist Joseph V. Brady was responsible for training some of the first U.S. spacefarers: monkeys Able and Miss Baker and Ham the Chimp. For this work, which helped set the stage for early U.S. human spaceflights, the National Space Biomedical Research Institute has honored the founder of the Institutes for Behavior Resources with its Pioneer Award.

Brady, whose career spans more than six decades, is a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

The presentation took place at IBR’s 50th Anniversary Gala, held May 2 at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore.

“Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Brady has been a pioneer,” said Jeffrey P. Sutton, director of NSBRI. “It is only fitting that we honor [him] during the 50th year of human spaceflight, an era which he played a role in launching, as well as the 50th anniversary of IBR, an organization that was established under his leadership.”

Brady is still active in space research as an investigator for NSBRI and NASA.