What Were The First Animals In Space?

Why Were Animals Sent Up To Space?

Animals in space were initially sent to test if they could survive spaceflight before humans attempted it. Later, different animals were sent to study how space and microgravity affect biological processes. Bioastronautics, a branch of bioengineering, focuses on studying and supporting life in space. Seven countries— the United States, Soviet Union, France, Argentina, China, Japan, and Iran—have sent animals into space.

A variety of animals have been launched into space, including monkeys, apes, dogs, cats, tortoises, mice, rats, rabbits, fish, frogs, spiders, quail eggs (which hatched on Mir in 1990), and insects. The United States sent the first Earthlings into space—fruit flies in 1947—followed by primate flights mainly from 1949 to 1961, with one flight in 1969 and another in 1985. France launched two monkey-carrying flights in 1967. The Soviet Union and Russia sent monkeys into space between 1983 and 1996. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Soviet space program used dogs for sub-orbital and orbital space flights.



On the Zond 5 mission in September 1968, two tortoises and various plant varieties became the first Earth inhabitants to circle the Moon. Turtles followed on the Zond 6 circumlunar mission in November 1968, and four turtles flew to the Moon on Zond 7 in August 1969. In 1972, five mice named Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum, and Phooey orbited the Moon a record 75 times during Apollo 17's Command Module America mission, which marked the last crewed voyage to the Moon.

Timeline Of Animals In Space

1940's

1947: The first animals in space

The first animals sent to space were fruit flies. They travelled on a U.S. V-2 rocket launched from White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, on February 20, 1947. The purpose was to study the effects of radiation exposure at high altitudes. The rocket reached 109 kilometres (68 miles) in just 3 minutes and 10 seconds, surpassing both the U.S. Air Force's 80-kilometre (50-mile) and the international 100-kilometre definitions of space boundaries. The Blossom capsule was released and successfully deployed its parachute, and the fruit flies were safely recovered. Some other V-2 missions also carried biological samples, including moss.

1949: The first monkey, primate and mammal In Space

On June 14, 1949, Albert II, a rhesus monkey, became the first monkey, primate, and mammal in space during a U.S. V-2 launch. This followed the failed mission of the original Albert. Albert I reached an altitude of only 48-63 kilometres (30-39 miles), while Albert II reached about 134 kilometres (83 miles) but unfortunately died upon impact due to a parachute failure.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the U.S. conducted numerous missions with monkeys from various species. These monkeys had sensors implanted to monitor vital signs, and many were under anaesthesia during launch. Unfortunately, the death rate among these monkeys was quite high, with approximately two-thirds of those launched in the 1940s and 1950s dying on missions or shortly after landing.

1950s

1950: The first mouse in space

On August 31, 1950, the U.S. sent a mouse into space, reaching an altitude of 137 kilometers aboard a V-2 rocket (the Albert V flight). Unfortunately, the mouse didn't survive the descent because the parachute system failed. In the 1950s, the U.S. launched several other mice into space.

1951: The first dogs in space

On July 22, 1951, the Soviet Union launched the R-1 IIIA-1 flight with two dogs, Tsygan (Russian: Цыган, "Gypsy") and Dezik (Russian: Дезик), but they didn't enter orbit. However, they became the first living higher organisms successfully recovered from a spaceflight. Both dogs survived the flight, but Dezik later passed away on a subsequent mission. Later that year, the U.S. sent mice into space aboard spacecraft, but they didn't reach the altitude required for true spaceflight.

1957: The first dog in orbit

On November 3, 1957, the second-ever orbiting spacecraft carried the first animal into orbit, a dog named Laika. Laika was launched aboard the Soviet Sputnik 2 spacecraft, nicknamed 'Muttnik' in the West. Unfortunately, Laika didn't survive the flight, as the technology to return spacecraft from orbit hadn't been developed yet. Before Yuri Gagarin's historic human spaceflight on April 12, 1961, at least 10 other dogs were sent into orbit, along with numerous sub-orbital flights with other animals.

On December 13, 1958, a Jupiter IRBM named AM-13 was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with a South American squirrel monkey named Gordo on board. Unfortunately, the recovery parachute for the nose cone failed, and Gordo was lost. Data sent during the flight showed that Gordo survived the launch's 10 g force, 8 minutes of weightlessness, and reentry's 40 g force at a speed of 16,000 km/h (9,900 mph). The nose cone sank far downrange from Cape Canaveral and was not retrieved.

The first monkeys to survive spaceflight were Miss Able and Miss Baker in 1959. On May 28, 1959, they flew aboard Jupiter IRBM AM-18. Able, an American-born rhesus monkey weighing 3 kg (7 lb), and Baker, a squirrel monkey from Peru weighing 310 g (11 oz), were in the missile's nose cone. They reached an altitude of 579 km (360 mi) and traveled 2,735 km (1,699 mi) over the Atlantic Missile Range from Cape Canaveral, Florida. They endured 38 times the normal gravitational pull and experienced weightlessness for about 9 minutes, reaching a top speed of 16,000 km/h (9,900 mph) during their 16-minute flight. Both monkeys survived the journey, but Able died four days later from a reaction to anesthesia during surgery to remove an infected medical electrode. Baker, the surviving monkey, was closely monitored for any ill-effects from the spaceflight and even mated as part of a reproductive system test. Baker lived until November 29, 1984, at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

1959: The first rabbit to go to space

On July 2, 1959, a Soviet R2 rocket carried two space dogs and Marfusha, the first rabbit to go into space, reaching an altitude of 212 kilometers (132 miles).

A launch on September 19, 1959, using a Jupiter AM-23 rocket, carried two frogs and 12 mice but was destroyed during launch.

On December 4, 1959, a rhesus macaque named Sam flew on the Little Joe 2 mission of Project Mercury, reaching an altitude of 85 km (53 mi).

1960s

1960: The first animals to survive space orbit

On August 19, 1960, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 5 (also known as Korabl-Sputnik 2), carrying the dogs Belka and Strelka, a grey rabbit, 40 mice, 2 rats, and 15 flasks of fruit flies and plants. This mission marked the first time animals were sent into orbit and returned alive. Notably, one of Strelka's pups, Pushinka, born after the mission, was given to Caroline Kennedy by Nikita Khrushchev in 1961.

On October 13, 1960, the United States sent three black mice named Sally, Amy, and Moe into space using an Atlas D 71D launch vehicle. They travelled 1,000 km up and 8,000 km from Cape Canaveral. The mice were retrieved near Ascension Island and were reported to be in good condition.

1961: The first ape in space

On January 31, 1961, Ham, a chimpanzee, became the first great ape in space as he was launched into sub-orbital space aboard a Redstone rocket in the Mercury-Redstone 2 mission. Ham had been trained to pull levers for banana pellet rewards and to avoid electric shocks, demonstrating the ability to perform tasks during spaceflight. A little over three months later, on April 12, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first human in space on a suborbital flight.

On November 29, 1961, Enos, a chimpanzee, became the first and only chimpanzee to reach Earth orbit on the Mercury-Atlas 5 mission, completing two orbits. Two months later, John Glenn, a Project Mercury pilot, orbited the Earth.

1961: The first guinea pig in space

#On March 9, 1961, the Soviet Union launched Korabl-Sputnik 4, carrying a dog named Chernushka, mice, frogs, and, for the first time in space, a guinea pig. All animals were successfully recovered.

1963: The first cat in space

France sent their first rat, Hector, into space on February 22, 1961, followed by two more rats in October 1962.

On October 18, 1963, France launched Félicette, a cat, aboard Veronique AGI sounding rocket No. 47. The mission involved neural impulse recordings from electrodes implanted in her brain. Félicette was recovered alive after a 15-minute flight and was later euthanized for an autopsy. A second cat sent into space by CERMA on October 24, 1963, faced difficulties preventing recovery. France's final animal launches included two monkeys in March 1967.

China launched mice and rats in 1964 and 1965, along with two dogs in 1966.

During the Voskhod program, the Soviet Union sent two dogs, Veterok and Ugolyok, into orbit for 22 days aboard Cosmos 110 on February 22, 1966. This record-breaking spaceflight duration was not surpassed by humans until Soyuz 11 in 1971.

In 1966 and 1967, the United States launched Biosatellite missions with various organisms, including fruit flies, parasitic wasps, flour beetles, frog eggs, bacteria, amoebae, plants, and fungi.

On April 11, 1967, Argentina launched the rat Belisario atop a Yarará rocket from Cordoba military range. The rat was successfully recovered. Several subsequent flights in Argentina involved rats, but it remains unclear if any of these reached the 100 km space boundary.

1968: The first animals to circle the moon

On September 14, 1968, the Soviet Union launched Zond 5, carrying the first animals to travel around the Moon, including two tortoises, wine flies, mealworms, and other biological specimens. The animals survived but experienced some weight loss. More turtles followed on Zond 6 in November 1968, and four turtles flew on Zond 7 in August 1969.

On June 28, 1969, the United States launched the monkey Bonny, a macaque, on Biosatellite 3. Intended for a 30-day orbit around Earth with a self-operated food pellet dispenser, Bonny's health deteriorated rapidly, and he was returned on July 7, but sadly died the next day after the capsule's recovery in the Pacific Ocean.

During the 1950s and 1960s, the Soviet Union launched missions with passenger slots for at least 57 dogs, although the actual number of dogs that flew was smaller due to some dogs making multiple flights.

On December 23, 1969, Argentina launched Juan, a cai monkey, as part of 'Operación Navidad' (Operation Christmas), using a Canopus II rocket. Juan reached an altitude of 82 kilometres but was successfully recovered. Later, on February 1, 1970, another female monkey of the same species was launched using an X-1 Panther rocket. It reached a higher altitude than its predecessor but was lost due to a parachute failure.

1970s

1970: The first frog in space

On November 9, 1970, two bullfrogs embarked on a one-way journey aboard the Orbiting Frog Otolith satellite. This mission aimed to learn more about space motion sickness.

Apollo 16, launched on April 16, 1972, carried nematodes. Apollo 17, launched on December 7, 1972, had five pocket mice named Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum, and Phooey. They stayed in the command module with astronaut Ronald Evans as it orbited the Moon for six days, although one of the mice didn't survive the journey.

1973: The first fish and spiders in space

During Skylab 3 in 1973, pocket mice, the first fish in space (a mummichog), and the first spiders in space (garden spiders named Arabella and Anita) were on board. Mummichogs were also part of the U.S. Apollo–Soyuz joint mission, launched on July 15, 1975.

The Soviet Union conducted several Bion program missions using satellites with biological payloads. These missions included tortoises, rats, and mummichogs. On Soyuz 20, launched on November 17, 1975, tortoises set a duration record for an animal in space, spending 90.5 days in space. Salyut 5, launched on June 22, 1976, carried both tortoises and a fish (a zebra danio).

1980s

n the 1980s, the Soviet Union launched eight monkeys into space on Bion flights. These flights also carried zebra danio, fruit flies, rats, stick insect eggs, and the first newts in space.

In 1985, the U.S. sent two squirrel monkeys along with 24 male albino rats and stick insect eggs on Spacelab 3 aboard the Space Shuttle.

1985: The first newts in space

On Bion 7 in 1985, there were 10 newts (Pleurodeles waltl) on board. Some of these newts had part of their front limbs amputated to study limb regeneration rates in space, which could provide insights into human recovery from space injuries.

Following the loss of an experiment in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, chicken embryos (fertilized eggs) were sent into space as part of an experiment on STS-29 in 1989. This experiment was created for a student contest.

1990s

In the last Bion flights of the Soviet Union, four monkeys, as well as frogs and fruit flies, were sent into space. The Foton program flights carried dormant brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana), newts, fruit flies, and sand desert beetles (Trigonoscelis gigas)

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In 1990, China launched guinea pigs into space.

In December 1990, Japanese journalist Toyohiro Akiyama brought Japanese tree frogs with him during his trip to the Mir space station. Other biological experiments on Mir involved quail eggs.

Japan's first animals sent into space, a species of newt, were launched on March 18, 1995, aboard the Space Flyer Unit.

Throughout the 1990s, the U.S. sent various creatures into space aboard Space Shuttles, including crickets, mice, rats, frogs, newts, fruit flies, snails, carp, medaka (rice fish), oyster toadfish, sea urchins, swordtail fish, spongy moth eggs, stick insect eggs, brine shrimp (Artemia salina), quail eggs, and jellyfish.

2000s

The last flight of Columbia in 2003 carried silkworms, garden orb spiders, carpenter bees, harvester ants, and Japanese killifish (medaka). Remarkably, nematodes (C. elegans) from one experiment were found still alive in the debris after the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.

C. elegans are also part of experiments aboard the International Space Station, along with research using quail eggs.

Previous Space Shuttle missions involved various educational projects, including grade school, junior high, and high school experiments. Some of these projects included ants, stick insect eggs, and brine shrimp cysts. Other missions focused on scientific research, including spongy moth eggs.

In 2006, Bigelow Aerospace launched their Genesis I inflatable space module, which carried various small items, toys, and simple experiments chosen by company employees. These items included insects like Madagascar hissing cockroaches and Mexican jumping beans containing live moth larvae (Cydia saltitans).

In 2007, Genesis II, a near-twin to Genesis I, also carried Madagascar hissing cockroaches, along with South African flat rock scorpions (Hadogenes troglodytes) and seed-harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex californicus).

During the European Space Agency's FOTON-M3 mission in September 2007, tardigrades (water-bears) survived 10 days of exposure to open space with only their natural protection.

Cockroaches were also part of the same mission, carried inside a sealed container. At least one female cockroach conceived during the mission, making it the first Earth creature to produce offspring that were conceived in space.

In March 2009, during the countdown of the STS-119 mission, a free-tailed bat was seen clinging to the fuel tank. Despite expectations that it would fly away once the Shuttle launched, it didn't. Analysis suggested it likely had injuries to its wings and shoulder or wrist, and it likely perished quickly during the Shuttle's ascent.

In November 2009, the STS-129 mission transported painted lady and monarch butterfly larvae into space for a school experiment, as well as thousands of C. elegans roundworms for long-term weight loss studies.

2010s

In May 2011, Space Shuttle Endeavour's last flight (STS-134) carried two golden orb spiders, named Gladys and Esmeralda, along with a fruit fly colony as their food source, to study how microgravity affects spider behaviour. Tardigrades and extremophiles were also sent into space.

In November 2011, the Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment on the Fobos-Grunt mission intended to carry tardigrades to Mars and back, but the mission failed to leave Earth orbit.

In October 2012, 32 medaka fish were delivered to the International Space Station via Soyuz TMA-06M for the Aquatic Habitat in the Kibo module.

In January 2013, Iran sent a monkey into space aboard the "Pishgam" rocket, and later, a mouse, two turtles, and some worms were launched on the Kavoshgar 3 rocket.

In January 2014, pavement ants' search strategies were studied on the ISS.

In July 2014, Russia launched the Foton-M4 satellite into low Earth orbit with one male and four female geckos to study the effects of microgravity on their reproductive habits. Russia temporarily lost control of the satellite but later restored it. Unfortunately, all five geckos were found dead, seemingly due to freezing.

In September 2014, SpaceX CRS-4 mission delivered 20 mice to the ISS to study the long-term effects of microgravity on rodents using the Rodent Research Hardware System.

In April 2015, SpaceX CRS-6 delivered 20 mice to the ISS for research on muscle loss in microgravity.

In April 2016, Rodent Research 3 delivered 20 mice on SpaceX CRS-8 to study myostatin inhibition for preventing muscle and bone atrophy.

In June 2018, SpaceX Dragon carried 20 mice to the ISS to study how space affects physiology and sleep patterns.

The Chinese lunar lander Chang'e 4 transported a sealed container with seeds and insect eggs to the moon to test their growth in synergy.

On April 11, 2019, the Israeli spacecraft Beresheet crashed into the moon with a payload including thousands of tardigrades, which might have survived on the lunar surface for some time, though it's uncertain if they survived the impact.

2020's

On June 3, 2021, SpaceX CRS-22 sent tardigrades (water bears) and Hawaiian bobtail squid to the ISS. The squid were launched as hatchlings, and scientists will study if they can develop their symbiotic bacteria in their light organ while in space.