The Animals of the Space Race
During the tedious race to be among one of the first to walk among the stars, many countries made scientific leaps using real animals. It was nearly impossible see how zero gravity effected living organisms without really putting it to the test. From 1957 to 1963, the American, Russian, and even French scientists sent three different, unique animals up to the cosmos for the sake of science! The goal was to see the effects of the environment on biological life, and each member brought back vital information that contributed great lengths towards space travel for everyone that was able to observe it.
Laika, Félicette, and Ham are the names of our heroes, and are a contributing factor to the progress that the human race has made in every stage of our space exploration. Without them, we would be left wondering if humans really could survive in space. Laika the space dog started our journey in 1957, going down in history as the first living being to orbit the Earth thanks to the Soviet Union. Ham, the first chimpanzee in space, was sent up in 1961, and brought back more information regarding human travel than many of his animal predecessors. In 1963, the French Union was inspired to launch Félicette, the first and only cat to ever make the trip.
| Laika | Ham | Félicette |
|---|---|---|
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