What cat has been in space? - briefly
The only cat known to have traveled to space is Félicette, a French feline launched in 1963 as part of a scientific mission to study the effects of space travel on living organisms.
What cat has been in space? - in detail
The only cat known to have traveled to space is Félicette, a stray tuxedo cat from Paris, France. In 1963, as part of the French space program, Félicette was selected for a suborbital mission to study the effects of weightlessness and space travel on living organisms. On October 18, 1963, she was launched aboard a Véronique AG1 rocket from the Hammaguir launch site in Algeria. The flight lasted approximately 15 minutes, reaching an altitude of around 157 kilometers (97 miles), which qualified it as a spaceflight. During the mission, Félicette experienced about five minutes of weightlessness. Electrodes implanted in her body transmitted neurological data back to Earth, providing valuable insights into the physiological responses of living beings in space. After the successful mission, Félicette safely returned to Earth via parachute. Her contribution to space research was significant, though she was unfortunately euthanized a few months later for further neurological study. In 2019, a bronze statue was unveiled in her honor at the International Space University in Strasbourg, France, commemorating her historic journey. Félicette remains a unique figure in the history of space exploration as the first and only cat to have ventured beyond Earth’s atmosphere.