Félicette
 French sounding rocket similar to that which carried Félicette | |
| Species | Cat |
|---|---|
Félicette is currently the only cat to have been sent into space[1] and survive. She was the first cat to be sent into space by any country.
History
On 3 November 1957 the Soviets sent Laika, a dog, into space on Sputnik 2. The dog was a stray found on the streets of Moscow. It died in space, and was the first living animal to enter space. Enos was the first primate that orbited the Earth on 29 November 1961, sent by the Americans (NASA). The chimpanzee survived the flight, and orbited the Earth in one hour and 28 minutes.
Space mission
The French had around fourteen cats in training (in equipment such as high-G centrifuges and compression chambers) in 1963. The animals were being trained by the Centre d'Enseignement et de Recherches de Médecine Aéronautique (CERMA).
On 18 October 1963 at 8:09am, on the French sounding rocket (for research) Véronique AGI 47 (made in Vernon, Eure, Upper Normandy or Haute-Normandie), Félicette, a black and white female cat found on the streets of Paris, was sent into space.[2] Véronique came from the German WWII Aggregate (rocket family) (A8), and also lead to the French Diamant satellite launcher.
The Veronique AGI was developed for the International Geophysical Year (Année géophysique internationale) in 1957 for biological research. Seven, out of the fifteen made, would carry live animals.
It was a non-orbital flight, and lasted fifteen minutes, reaching a height of 97 miles. The cat was recovered safely after the capsule parachuted to Earth.
References
- ↑ "Chatte Félicette". CNES. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ↑ Animals in space, NASA
- Animals in Space: From Research Rockets to the Space Shuttle, page 220