Dogs: Laika was the first dog and the first animal to orbit the Earth, according to the South China Morning Post. As a stray dog found on the streets of Moscow, she flew aboard the Sputnik 2 spacecraft on November 3, 1957, but died a few hours after launch.
Laika was the world’s first animal astronaut. Photo: SCMP.
“Of course, we knew that the dog would not survive the flight because there was no way to bring her back. I asked her to forgive us, and I even cried while petting her for the last time,” shared Russian biologist Adilya Kotovskaya.
Researchers hoped Laika could survive for 10 days, but she died due to panic, overheating, and dehydration after a few hours. However, the rocket carrying Laika orbited the Earth nine times, making the dog the first animal astronaut in the world. Three years later, on July 19, 1960, Russia sent two more dogs, Belka and Strelka, into space. This time, they survived and safely returned to Earth the next day.
Monkeys In the late 1940s, the United States began sending monkeys on V-2 rockets. On June 14, 1949, Albert II became the first monkey to fly into space but died upon reentry to Earth due to the impact. Reports suggested that the animals could have survived if there had been no malfunctions.
Sam the rhesus monkey flew into space aboard the Little Joe-2 spacecraft in 1959. Photo: NASA.
Other monkeys sent into space by the United States in the years following Albert II’s flight also perished. Yorick was the first monkey to survive the journey, but it died from overheating while waiting to be released from the cramped spacecraft.
Cats: France sent the first cat into space in October 1963. The cat, named Felix or Felicette, completed a 15-minute journey reaching an altitude of 200 km above Earth and returned using the Véronique AG1 liquid-fueled rocket. It was kept alive for a few months in a space program laboratory before being euthanized for research on the physiological effects of the flight.
Fish: A pair of mummichog fish flew aboard the Skylab 3 mission by NASA in July 1973. They were the first fish species to survive a space journey. They were chosen for their ability to survive in extreme conditions. In a weightless environment, the two fish relied on artificial light to determine their direction.
Turtles: Two turtles on the unmanned Soviet spacecraft Zond 5 flew into space in September 1968, not only orbiting Earth but also flying around the Moon and safely returning. They lost about 10% of their weight during the week-long flight.
Frogs: NASA sent two bullfrogs into orbit in 1970 to observe their response to a weightless environment. The researchers collected the desired data, but the frogs could not return as the spacecraft was lost.
Guinea Pigs: The first guinea pigs flew into space on March 9, 1961, aboard the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 9. Other passengers on the spacecraft included a dog, several mice, and reptiles. All of them survived when they returned to Earth.