She spent about 13 minutes on a sub-orbital flight before returning to Earth. She died in space, but was the first animal to orbit the Earth. The next day a helicopter was again dispatched and was able to land at the site. Guy wrote in a Kickstarter update, "It's crazy to think a video I put online... has resulted in this. [41] The statue was unveiled on December 18, 2019, as a part of the 25th anniversary celebration of the University's Master of Space Studies program. CERMA changed it to the feminine Félicette and adopted the name as official. Félicette was a tuxedo cat who was inducted into the French space program in 1963. On October 18th, 1963, the Centre national d’études in France was set to send a small cat named Félix into space. The scientists believed that if a cat could undergo intense training and survive a trip to space their astronauts could as well. The spacecraft was carrying two dogs, Dezik and Tsygan, and they were the first living animals recovered successfully from a space … [11], On 18 October 1963 at 8:09 am, C 341 was launched into space from the Centre interarmées d'essais d'engins spéciaux site in Algeria. However, the cats had to undergo numerous tests to ensure they were up to the challenge. [28] Félicette was killed two months after the launch so that scientists could perform a necropsy to examine her brain. After consulting with each other they decided that a cat would be ideal for their mission. The cats had electrodes implanted onto their skulls so their neurological activity could be monitored throughout the flight. Image to left: Chimpanzees were one of the first mammals to travel into space Credit: NASA In the earlier days of space exploration, nobody knew if people could survive a trip away from Earth, so using animals was the best way to find out. [22][23] The mission was a sub-orbital flight and lasted 13 minutes. [11][12], In 1963, Centre d'Enseignement et de Recherches de Médecine Aéronautique (CERMA) purchased 14 cats from a pet dealer for the testing, with the individual animals selected based on their temperament; all of the cats were female, for their calmer demeanor. The French space program first used a cat named Felix for their mission, but he escaped from the laboratory and was unable to be found. Félicette was one of 14 female cats trained for spaceflight. Cats in space - Felix and Felicette. [3] C 341 was recovered safely, and the mission made her the first cat to reach space. The group adopted her as their mascot and gave her the name Scoubidou, as she had a scoubidou braid around her neck, a popular style at the time. But less well known is that French researchers also sent their own animals into space -- including the first 'cat-stronaut.' Most of the data from the mission was of good quality, and Félicette survived the flight, the only cat to have survived spaceflight. The then Soviet Union experimented in the later 1950s with dogs in capsules on the edge of space; then in 1957 Laika, a mongrel dog who became very well known, was launched in Sputnik 2. Decades after her death and remarkable accomplishment for mankind, Félicette finally received the recognition she deserved. A monkey known as Martine was launched on 7 March 1967 and Pierrette six days later. Inscription: Thank you for your participation in my success of 18 October 1963, Centre interarmées d'essais d'engins spéciaux, List of microorganisms tested in outer space, "Brazil Getting Ready to Fire Cat into Space", "Ham, Chimp Astronaut, to Help Scientists Decide Safety of Space Ride for Human Astronaut", "Operational Trouble Shortens Chimp's Ride", "[Hommage] Une Statue en Bronze Pour Félicette, Votre Avis M. Squirrel monkeys are not apes. [31] The other nine cats were decommissioned at the end of the program. https://www.mentalfloss.com/.../brief-history-felicette-first-cat-space A second feline was launched on 24 October, but the mission resulted in a fatality. On 3 November 1957, the Soviet Union launched Laika, a stray dog found on the streets of Moscow, into space on Sputnik 2. Two microphones, one on her chest and one on the nose cone of the rocket, monitored her breathing. ", "First Cat in Space to Receive a Proper Memorial", "First cat in space Félicette to get memorial statue after successful crowdfund", "Felicette the space cat, and the mythical Felix", "Un observatoire sur le campus pour étudier l'univers", "From Félicette the space cat to Dolly the sheep – which animals should be given a statue? [11] French scientists wanted to use larger mammals and chose cats, since they already had a significant amount of neurological data on them. [14][18] Electrodes were attached to her forward left and right rear leg to monitor cardiac activity. In 1997, postage stamps commemorating Félicette and other animals in space were issued in Chad, again using the name Félix. A page in the Kickstarter reads: “Over the last 54 years, the story of the first and only cat to go to space has been largely forgotten. “We shouldn’t have done it. This one shows 'Félix' and Laika, with Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin and their Saturn V rocket. It is installed in Strasbourg, France at the International Space University. Housecats were a bit late to the space party compared to some other animals; the French first sent a cat into space on October 18, 1963. The fruit flies which were recovered from the V-2 rocket later were alive. Nine electrodes had previously been implanted on her skull: two in the front sinus, one in the somatic area, two in the ventral hippocampal, two in the reticular area, and two in the association cortex. It was very much a pathfinder. Ham, a chimpanzee, was sent to space by the United States. Centre d'Enseignement et de Recherches de Médecine Aéronautique (CERMA) modified this to the feminine Félicette and adopted it as her official name. On October 18, 1963, French scientists launched the first cat into space on a Veronique AGI sounding rocket No. [1][24] Prior to parachute deployment, spin and vibration on the nose cone caused 7 g of acceleration. [32] The statue was designed by sculptor Gill Parker. [28], France continued its biological payload research, changing to monkeys. Félicette was one of 14 female cats trained for spaceflight. [29], A second cat was launched into space by the French on 24 October. Ham survived his space flight and was later sent to live at the North Carolina Zoological Park. The cat, named Félicette, was successfully retrieved after a parachute descent, but a second feline flight on October 24 ran into difficulties that prevented recovery. Many people know that the first living creature to orbit the Earth was a dog, launched into space by the Soviets all the way back in 1957. Both monkeys survived but Able passed away during a later operation. We did not learn enough from the mission to justify the death of the dog.” Her trip into space was more symbolic than scientific. The cats were unnamed prior to the launch to reduce the likelihood that the scientists would become attached to them. After lagging behind its Soviet and American competitors, France was eager to stake its claim in the space race—with cats, for some reason. Your email address will not be published. During the microgravity phase, her heart rate slowed and her breathing became nominal. During the trip scientists were able to monitor things such as their pulse, respiratory rate, and body temperature. While many animals gave their lives for this purpose one of the most notable is Félicette, a French cat. Félicette was chosen mainly by chance as she and her littermates were bought by the French scientists. No one wonder she and the cat had survived the Nostromo. Unlike many other animals launched into space, Félicette didn’t receive an official name until after her assignment as a way to help prevent the scientists from becoming attached to her. The Secret History of the First Cat in Space On October 18th, 1963, the Centre national d’études in France was set to send a small cat named Félix into space. A helicopter spotted the parachute but was unable to land, so the agency dispatched ground vehicles. In 1948, a rhesus macaque monkey named Albert … She deserves a proper memorial.” You can help to immortalize the brave and incredible feline by helping to fund a shiny, bronze statue of Felicette that is set to be erected in Paris, France, Felicette’s hometown. However, in the future when space travel is a little bit more accommodating for humans, I suspect cats will be among our first companions in space. Can A Silverback Gorilla Defeat A Lion, Tiger Or Bear In Battle? On 15 August 1951, Dezik and Tsygan were launched, becoming the first canine suborbital astronauts. The V-2 rocket reached 68 miles within less than four minutes, and then it ejected the blossom capsule which deployed its parachute successfully. Monkeys Able and Baker became the first monkeys to survive spaceflight after their 1959 flight. On July 22, 1961, the Russians sent R-1 IIIA-1 flight to space, but not into the orbit. She was bought from a local pet dealer and later taken to a training facility where she underwent tests for her future space mission. While her life was a somewhat short and tragic one, Félicette’s legacy continues to inspire many and has finally gained the recognition she deserves. Her parachute then deployed and she fell back to Earth into the Sahara Desert where she was picked up by researchers. According to what the Russians said at the time, she suffered no ill-effects while in orbit, but after a few days her batteries and air supply ran out and she died. Many of these animals added their own impact to the Space Race and helped scientists to discover many unique things about space that would have otherwise been unknown. The turbulent reentry caused her heart rate to rise, but poor data made it difficult to analyze. [28], According to an article in Space.com on 8 November 2017, the participation of Félicette in the space race, "... was certainly not voluntary, but it was a huge milestone for France, which had just established the world's third civilian space agency (after the Soviet Union and the U.S.). Many people know that the first living creature to orbit the Earth was a dog, launched into space by the Soviets all the way back in 1957. 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