On June 11, 1948, the first animal to venture into space was a monkey named Albert I. Albert I was launched aboard the V-2 Blossom rocket and reached an altitude just below 134km. Since then, scientists have sent many living creatures into space, including dogs, monkeys, reptiles, insects, plants, and various microorganisms.
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Laika, the dog, was sent into Earth’s orbit by the Soviet Union in 1957 – Photo: NASA
Many animals have perished during these pioneering missions. However, as stated by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), they sacrificed their lives in the name of technological advancement, paving the way for various human space exploration endeavors.
Spacefaring Dog Takes Flight
Laika, the famous dog, was sent into Earth’s orbit by the Soviet Union in 1957. According to Gizmodo, Laika died during this one-way mission.
Before Laika’s mission, in 1951, just one day before scheduled launch, a dog named Smelaya unexpectedly went missing. Fortunately, Smelaya returned the next day, and the test flight was successful.
In late 1951, another dog named Bobik also disappeared before the flight and did not return. The flight planners found a wandering dog near a local pub and named it ZIB, an abbreviation in Russian for “substitute for the missing dog Bobik,” and later sent it into space.
Mouse Meets Tragic Fate Due to “Tasty Paint”
In 1959, the U.S. Air Force attempted to launch a spacecraft into Earth’s orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. However, four “astronaut” mice were discovered dead after eating Krylon paint, which was sprayed in their cages to cover rough edges. The mice apparently found the paint tastier than their designated food.
The second launch attempt with backup mice was nearly aborted when sensors inside the capsule became wet. Upon opening the spacecraft, they found a sensor underneath one of the mouse cages, which “couldn’t differentiate between water and mouse urine.”
After drying the capsule, the launch proceeded. The rocket exploded on June 3, 1959, causing the capsule with the mice to crash into the Pacific Ocean.
Monkey Paves the Way to Space
The monkey named Ham went into space on NASA’s Mercury-Redstone mission on January 31, 1961. The primary goal of this mission was to determine whether animals could perform tasks in space.
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Ham the monkey performed well during space missions – Photo: NASA
Ham was only 2 years old when training began. The monkey performed well during the spaceflight, pushing levers about 50 times and receiving only two electric shocks.
Ham’s successful mission laid the groundwork for astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American to go into space in 1961. Ham lived out the rest of his life in a zoo.
The Sole Spacefaring Cat
On October 18, 1963, the French space program launched Félicette, a stray Persian cat, into space. Scientists implanted electrodes in her skull to monitor nervous system activity and activate physical reactions.
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Félicette is the only cat successfully sent into space – Photo: CNES
Scientists “reincarnated” Félicette after the flight to study her brain. She became the only cat successfully sent into space. In 2017, a crowdfunding campaign was launched to build a memorial statue for Félicette. The statue now stands at the International Space University in France.
Two Dogs Embark on a 21-Day Space Journey
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Two dogs, Veterok and Ugolyok, experienced dehydration and weight loss after returning from space – Photo: ROSCOSMOS
In February 1966, the Soviet space program sent two dogs, Veterok and Ugolyok, into space to study the effects of extended space travel and harmful radiation exposure.
The dogs spent 21 days in space. Upon their return, they experienced dehydration and weight loss. Veterok and Ugolyok also exhibited weakened circulation, muscle atrophy, and coordination loss; it took them a whole month to recover.