6 Animals That Went to Space & Survived

SUBSCRIBE HERE ► http://bit.ly/AstroBytes
FACEBOOK PAGE ►   / astrobyte  
TWEET US ►   / astrobytesyt  

Scientists want to know how the body reacts to microgravity. Animals go into space to help conduct scientific research only when absolutely necessary. Here are 6 animals that went to space.

6. Tardigrades.
In 2007, tardigrades were the first animals to survive outer space. Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are microscopic invertebrates able to deal with almost anything on Earth, so perhaps it’s no surprise.
Lack of oxygen, radiation, freezing cold, dehydration… nothing scares a tardigrade.

5. Fruit flies
It was 1947 when the first animal was put into space. And, perhaps surprisingly, it was the humble fruit fly. American scientists were trying to establish the impact that cosmic radiation might potentially have on astronauts in the future, they chose flies because they are genetically similar to humans.

4. Monkeys and Apes
Incredibly, 32 monkeys and apes have been to space, including the rhesus macaque, pig-tailed monkey, cynomolgus monkey, squirrel-tailed monkey, and chimpanzee. The very first was a rhesus macaque called Albert II. In 1949 he reached 134 km altitude, but sadly died on impact when re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere due to a parachute failure.

3. Dogs
A number of dogs have gone into space under the former Soviet Union. The most well-known was Laika in 1957. She was picked up off the streets as a stray mongrel puppy in Moscow and was deemed suitable because of her gentle temperament. The scientists also believed a stray would be better at coping with adverse conditions.

2. Mice
Mice have long been used to find out more about how space travel will affect the human body. In fact, NASA has recently published a detailed study of mice housed at the International Space Station. It shows that mice quickly adapt to microgravity conditions.

1. Cats
1963, a French cat named Félicette became the first and the only feline to ever travel to space. She launched atop a Véronique AG1 rocket and flew nearly 157 kilometers above the Earth, where she briefly experienced weightlessness. Her rocket soared up to six times the speed of sound and exposed her to 9.5 gees of force. Fifteen minutes later, she safely returned to Earth by parachuting down in her little space capsule.

Credit: NASA/ESA