10 Animals that have been in space

The Rus Joeri Gagarin made the first human race ever in 1961. However, several animals occurred to him. Since the 1950s, both the Russians and Americans sent in the space of monkeys and dogs to investigate the effect of high temperatures and rapid pressure changes. Also after 1961 many animals have made a space trip. Fortunately, most of these hairy astronauts landed safely on their four (or eight) legs. Here you meet ten of them!

1. Laika (dog) in 1957

Laika (Russian for 'buffer') began her life as a pagan dog but eventually became the first animal ever to complete a space trip around the earth. At least, the spaceship she was wearing was lucky, Laika himself came for several hours after taking off the rocket for life. Laika, presumably a mix between a husky and a terrier, died of high temperatures and stress. The first animal in space should not mention it because, in 1947, some fruit flies already occurred to her.

2. Gordo (Death Headdress) in 1958

 About a year after Laika's space trip, the Americans sent Gordo's death headdress into space. Death headdresses have anatomically similar anatomy. The NASA was thus very curious how Gordo would respond to high temperatures and weightlessness. Dressed in a custom-made space suit, the monkey succeeded in launching the rocket successfully. However, the landing went wrong. Due to a technical error, Gordo's parachute did not open, and the crash collapsed with the rocket down to earth.

3. Able (recusa juice) and Miss Baker (1959)

Just a few months after Gordo, the NASA also sent the refusal Able and the deathhead Miss Baker on space travel. Both monkeys were fitted with a space suit and the necessary measuring equipment so that animal health could be monitored during the trip. The animals performed in good health at a top speed of 16,000 km / h and a nine-minute weight loss. Thus, Able and Miss Baker managed to survive as first mammals to survive a space trip, even though Able died of an infection shortly after the landing.

4. Belka and Strelka (dogs) in 1960

After Laika, it was, in turn, turn to Belka (Russian for 'squirrel') and Strelka (Russian for 'dart') to make a trip to the earth. Belka and Strelka completed the trip successfully within one day, after which they landed safely in the land. The two dogs then expanded into world stars and served as inspiration for various works of art, including the 2010 Russian animation film Belka and Strelka: Space Dogs.

5. Ham (Chimpanzee) in 1961

The chimpanzee, along with the bonobo, seems most of all monkeys most on humans. It was therefore evident that after a deathhead and a resuscitation in 1961, the Americans sent a chimpanzee into space. The NASA chose the five-year-old male Ham. With Ham, Americans discovered that monkeys could not only travel as a passenger in space but also be able to perform tasks here. For example, Ham was trained to operate a lever, which also made the chimpanzee in space. His flight was only 16 minutes, and he survived the landing. His later years he spent at the zoo.

6. Enos (Chimpanzee) in 1961

In the same year as Ham, Enos became the second chimpanzee who could call himself a space traveler. Enos followed a significantly more intensive training program than Ham before his space mission. These extra training hours were needed to get Enos accustomed to prolonged weightlessness and the very heavy G-forces that he would be exposed to deep into space. He would make three rounds around the earth. Although the mission had to be broken earlier than planned (the capsule got too hot), Enos survived the voyage without any problems. While the chimpanzee was made ready for the next space trip in 1962, he died of dysentery.

7. Felicette (cat) in 1963

Only one cat had ever been in space: Félicette. Originally, the French had the hangover of Félix as an astronaut, but on the day of launch, the four-legged man managed to escape. Félicette took its place, returning to Earth safely fifteen minutes after start. The black and white cat was subjected to various health surveys after the successful landing, including a brain examination. The results are always kept secret, but reportedly, Félicette has made a significant contribution to science.

8. Veterok and Ugolyok (dogs) in 1966

To date, no dog has taken a longer space trip than Veterok (Russian for breeze) and Ugolyok (Russian for 'kolenbrokje'). The Russians allowed the dogs to travel through space for 22 days, with the two also pulling through the two radiation belts that surround the earth. For this reason, it is suspected that the purpose of the space mission was to find the effect of extreme radioactive radiation on animals. However, the Russians still want to deny or confirm this.

9. Two anonymous turtles in 1968

In 1968, the Russians sent a pair of fourteen turtles on a particular space trip. The turtles became the first animals to reach the so-called 'deep space.' Accompanied by flies and meadows, the turtles made a space trip around the moon. Once again, safely returned to earth, the tortoises had lost some weight, but further, they were in excellent health. Despite this impressive performance, the names of the two turtles have never become publicly known.

10. Anita and Arabella (spiders) in 1973

Over ten years after Ham, the Americans sent Anita and Arabella into space. These astronauts left without training, but they did not need the spiders. The NASA was only curious whether they could spin the web without gravity. Here, both Anita and Arabella succeeded, even though their webs were thinner than the ones they manufactured on earth. Unfortunately, neither spider survived the space trip. Presumably, both Anita and Arabella dehydration were fatal.