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Fruit Flies
The first official animal that was sent to space intentionally was fruit flies. The fruit flies were launched aboard a V2 rocket in 1947. The reason for this was because US scientists were studying the effects of radiation at high altitude. -
Albert l
The second animal to be sent to space was a rhesus monkey, Albert I. Albert I was the first monkey to be sent into space. He was sent into space on June 11, 1948. He was also sent on a V2 rocket. -
Albert II
The third animal to be sent to space was Albert ll. Albert I’s mission was unsuccessful but Albert ll’s was. Albert ll was also a rhesus monkey. He reached a distance of 83 miles on June 14, 1949. Unfortunately, Albert died upon impact at re-entry. -
Tsygan and Dezik
The fourth animal to visit space were two dogs. The two dogs, Tsygan and Dezik, were aboard the R-1 IIIA-1. The dogs reached space on July 22, 1951, but did not orbit. They were one of the few mammals to successfully recover from spaceflight. -
Laika
The fifth animal to visit space was Laika. Laika was a young, mostly Siberian husky. She was sent to space on November 3, 1957. She was rescued from the streets of Moscow. The little dog’s name was originally, Kudryavka, or Little Curly. Unfortunately, Laika’s trip was one-way. A re-entry strategy could not be worked out in time for the launch. -
Gordo
The sixth animal to be sent into space was a squirrel monkey, Gordo. Gordo, also known as Old Reliable, was launched from Cape Canaveral on December 13, 1958 in the US. Gordo was one of the first monkeys to be sent into space. Unfortunately, a malfunction occurred and prevented the capsules’ parachute from opening and, despite a short search, neither his body nor the vessel were found. -
Albe and Baker
The next animals to be sent to space were Albe, a rhesus monkey, and Baker, a squirrel monkey. The two friends were launched together on May 28, 1959. They flew 300 miles high and returned unharmed. However, Able died in an operation to remove an electrode from under her skin. Baker lived until 1984, dying of kidney failure at age 27 -
Belka and Strelka
The next animals to be sent to space were two dogs. Belka and Strelka were two Soviet space dogs. The two buddies were sent to space on August 19, 1960. The dogs were both strays that were found wandering the streets of Russia. The tiny canines each weighed about 12 pounds. -
Ham
The next animal to be sent to space was Ham, a chimpanzee. Ham was sent to space on January 31, 1961. He was named after the Holloman Aerospace Medical Centre, where he was trained. This apestronaut learned how to pull levers to receive banana pellets and avoid electric shocks. He successfully became the first animal to actually interact with a space vessel rather than just riding in it. -
Félicette
The tenth animal to be sent to space was Félicette. It is said that a male cat, Felix was selected and trained, but escaped prior to launch, being replaced with a back-up cat named, Félicette. She was sent into space on October 8th, 1963. She is a black-and-white tabby cat. -
Bibliography Continued
http://sixtiescity.net/Space/Animals.htm
http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/soviet-space-dogs.html
http://tinyurl.com/z5opldt
http://7-themes.com/6994476-cool-space-pictures.html
http://tinyurl.com/
https://1951club.wordpress.com/tag/space-dogs/
http://www.freakingnews.com/funny-pictures/astronauts-pictures-02.asp -
Bibliography
http://www.universetoday.com/25427/what-was-the-first-animal-in-space/
http://www.space.com/17764-laika-first-animals-in-space.html
http://tinyurl.com/zxxzh5d
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordo_(monkey)
http://ham.space.umn.edu/kris/gordo.html
http://www.outerspaceuniverse.org/the-first-monkey-in-outer-space-albert-ii.html
http://tinyurl.com/hk6v8ot
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Baker
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/484207397413990142/
http://tinyurl.com/zj549c4
