-
Introduction
Thank you for clicking on this time line! These are the top 10 animals launched into space against their will. -
First Animals in Space
On February 20, 1947, the first animals were launched into space. They were fruit flies. All the fruit flies were launched in the cone of a German V-2 rocket and all of them came back alive. -
First Mammal in Space
The first mammal in space was a Rhesus monkey named Albert II. Albert I suffocated in the rocket before he entered space, so that doesn’t count. Albert II was punted into space on July 17,1949. Albert II died when his capsule in the rocket’s parachute failed. Ouch. -
First Animal to Orbit Earth
On November 3, 1957, the first animal to orbit earth was a dog. You can probably guess what her name is. Laika! Laika was kicked out into space by the Soviet Union. She was a street dog chosen by Soviet scientists because they thought stray dogs are used to extreme cold. But sadly, Laika died in space because the life-support system gave out. She got turned into space-doggo bacon in April 1958 in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. -
First Mammals to Go into Space and Survive
Able and Baker (Rhesus and Squirrel monkeys) got shot-up into space on May 28, 1959. Able died shortly after during a surgery to remove skin implants that were used to transmit and record vital signs down to earth. Baker died of liver failure 25 years later in 1984. -
First Animals to Orbit and Return Alive
The two dogs, named Belka and Strelka, catapulted into space on August 20,1960. The most interesting part about Strelka is that she had a litter of puppies. One of them, Pushinka, was gifted to John F. Kennedy. Pushinka had MORE puppies, which were nick-named pupniks. WHEW! That was many mouthfuls! -
The First Animal to Interact with the Spacecraft
The most famous monkey in space was Ham. A monkey named ham. Not a pig named Ham, but a monkey named Ham! Ham was a Cameroonian Chimpanzee who got launched into space on January 31, 1961. Really, no one cared for him because astronauts have already been to space. It’s kind-of sad, really. -
First Cat in Space
The first cat in space was drop-kicked up into space by France on October 18, 1963. The cat’s name was Felicette. She almost never made it into space. The cat that was meant to go into space was named Felix. He had escaped the day before the launch, so they used the back-up, Felicette. -
Longest Stay in Space by any Animal
Veterok and Ugolyok (dogs) were the animals that held the record for the longest stay in space for 22 days, starting on February 22, 1968. That record was not passed by humans until 1974. -
The First Spider Web in Space
Could a spider create a web in space? Yes! The first spider web in space was made by Arabella and Anita. They made a some-what symmetrical web in July 28, 1978. -
First Newts in Space
Could an injured astronaut recover from a space injury? That’s what scientists were researching when they launched the first 10 newts into space on July 10, 1985. -
Conclusion
Thank you for clicking AND reading this time line! Without experimenting on animals in space, humans might have never made it in to space. Thank you to all those dogs, monkeys, fruit flies, and YOU, for reading this time line. -
Bibliograhy
Research:
https://www.space.com/17764-laika-first-animals-in-space.html
https://time.com/animals-space-pioneers/
Pics:
https://tinyurl.com/yap244c2
https://tinyurl.com/y52wkpcl
https://tinyurl.com/y95relfc
https://tinyurl.com/y5ttttdf
https://tinyurl.com/ht65utoo
https://tinyurl.com/y5tbxtdu
https://tinyurl.com/y8er2urr
https://tinyurl.com/y5bz4txz
https://tinyurl.com/y2y8wn4f
https://tinyurl.com/y3t5omnb
