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Animals in space
originally served to test the survivability of spaceflight before manned
space missions were attempted. Later animals were flown to investigate
various biological processes and the effects microgravity and space flight
might have on them. As of 2004, five national space programs have flown
animals into space: the United States, Soviet Union, France, China and
Japan.
 |
Squirrel monkey "Baker" rode a Jupiter
missile into space in 1959 |
1940s
The first animals intentionally sent into space were fruit
flies which were sent along with corn seeds aboard a U.S.-launched V2
rocket in mid July, 1946. The purpose of the experiment was to explore the
effects of radiation exposure at high altitudes. Some further V2 missions
carried biological samples including moss.
Albert II in a U.S. launched V2 became the first monkey in space on June
14, 1949 (after the failure of the original Albert's mission). Albert II
died on impact after a parachute failure. Numerous monkeys of several
species were flown by the U.S. in the 1950s and 60s. Monkeys were
implanted with sensors to measure vital signs and many were under
anesthesia during launch. [Top]
1950s
On August 31, 1950 the U.S. launched a mouse into space
(137 km) aboard a V2 (the Albert V flight which unlike the Albert I-IV
flights did not have a monkey). The U.S. launched several other mice in
this decade but the first mouse was the only one which survived.
On January 29, 1951, the Soviet Union launched the R-1 IIIA-1 flight,
carrying the dogs Zhegan and Dezik into space (but not into orbit). The
U.S. launched mice aboard spacecraft later that year; however, they failed
to reach the altitude for true spaceflight.
The first animal in orbit was the Soviet dog Laika onboard Sputnik 2 on
November 3, 1957. Laika died during the flight. At least 10 other dogs
were launched into orbit and numerous others on sub-orbital flights before
April 1961 when Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. (See Russian
space dogs)
On December 13, 1958, a Jupiter IRBM, AM-13, was launched from Cape
Canaveral, Florida with a U.S. Navy trained South American squirrel monkey
named "Gordo" onboard. The nosecone recovery parachute failed to operate
and "Gordo" did not survive the flight. Telemetry data sent back during
the flight showed that the monkey survived the 10g of launch, 8 minutes of
weightlessness and 40g of reentry at 10,000 miles per hour. The nosecone
sank 1,302 nm downrange from Cape Canaveral and was not recovered.
Monkeys Able and Baker became the first monkeys to survive spaceflight
after their 1959 flight. On May 28, 1959, aboard Jupiter IRBM AM-18, were
a 7 pound (3.18 kg) American-born rhesus monkey, "Able" and an 11 ounce
(310 g) South American squirrel monkey, "Baker". The monkeys rode in the
nosecone of the missile to an altitude of 360 miles (579 km) and a
distance of 1,700 miles (2,735 km) down the Atlantic Missile Range from
Cape Canaveral, Florida. They withstood forces 38 times the normal pull of
gravity and were weightless for about 9 minutes. A top speed of 10,000 mph
(14,000 km/h) was reached during their 16 minute flight. The monkeys
survived the flight in good condition. "Able" died four days after the
flight while undergoing surgery to remove an infected medical electrode,
from a reaction to the anesthesia. "Baker" lived until November 29, 1984
at the US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. [Top]
1960s
On January 31, 1961, Ham the chimp was launched in a
Mercury capsule aboard a Redstone rocket. His mission was Mercury-Redstone
2. He was trained to pull levers to receive rewards. His flight
demonstrated the ability to perform tasks during spaceflight. A little
over 3 months later the United States sent Alan Shepard into space. Enos
the chimp became the first non-human primate in orbit on November 29, 1961
in another Mercury capsule, this time on an Atlas rocket, Mercury-Atlas 5.
The Soviet Union in the Vostok 3A flights of March 1961 launched mice and
for the for the first time, guinea pigs and frogs (northern leopard
frogs).
France flew the first rat into space on February 22, 1961. Two further
rats were flown in October, 1962.
France launched Felix the cat into space on October 18, 1963. The cat had
electrodes implanted into its head to measure neural impluses. Felix was
recovered alive but the next cat in space was not. The final French animal
launches were of two monkeys in March, 1967.
China launched mice and rats in 1964 and 1965 and two dogs in 1966.
The United States launched Biosatellite I in 1966 and Biosatellite I/II in
1967 with fruit flies, parasitic wasps, flour beetles and frog eggs along
with bacteria, amoebae, plants and fungi.
The first tortoise in space and the first animal of any kind in deep space
was launched September 14, 1968 by the Soviet Union. The Horsfield's
tortoise was sent on a circumlunar voyage along with wine flies, meal
worms and other biological specimens. The capsule was recovered at sea
September 21.
The United States launched the monkey Bonny in 1969 on the first multi-day
primate mission, one of four U.S. monkey missions in the 1960s.
The Soviet Union continued launching dogs in this decade. In total in the
1950s and 60s, the Soviet Union launched missions with passenger slots for
at least 57 dogs. The actual number of dogs in space is smaller as some
dogs flew more than once. [Top]
1970s
Two bullfrogs were launched on a one way mission on the
Orbiting Frog Otolith satellite on November 9, 1970 to better understand
space motion sickness.
Apollo 16 on April 16, 1972 carried nematodes and Apollo 17, launched on
December 7, 1972 carried five pocket mice, although one died on the
circumlunar trip. Skylab 3 carried pocket mice and the first fish in
space, mummichog and the first spiders in space, cross spiders. The U.S.
also flew mummichog on the Apollo-Soyuz mission.
The Soviets flew a number of Bion program missions which consisted of
satellites with biological cargoes. On these launches they flew tortoises,
rats, and mummichog. On Soyuz 20, launched November 17, 1975, tortoises
set the duration record for an animal in space when they spent 90.5 days
in space. Salyut 5 on June 22, 1976 carried tortoises and a fish, a zebra
danio. [Top] 1980s
The Soviet Union sent 8 monkeys into space in the 80's on
Bion flights while the U.S. sent two aboard Spacelab 3 on the Space
Shuttle along with 24 rats, and stick insect eggs. Bion flights also flew
zebra danio, fruit flies, rats, stick insect eggs and the first newts in
space. [Top] 1990s
Four monkeys flew aboard the last Bion flights of the
Soviet Union as well as frogs and fruit flies. The Foton program flights
carried dormant brine shrimp, newts, fruit flies, and desert beetles.
China launched guinea pigs in 1990.
Toyohiro Akiyama, a Japanese journalist carried Japanese tree frogs with
him during his trip to the Mir space station in December, 1990. Other
biological experiments aboard Mir involved quail eggs,
Japan launched its first animals into space on March 18, 1995: a species
of newt.
The U.S. during the 1990s carried crickets, mice, rats, frogs, newts,
fruit flies, snails, carp, medaka, oyster toadfish, sea urchins, swordtail
fish, gypsy moth eggs, stick insect eggs and quail eggs aboard the Space
Shuttle. [Top] 2000s
The last flight of Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003 carried
silkworms, golden orb spiders, carpenter bees, harvester ants, and
Japanese killifish. 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 as well as research using quail eggs.
Earlier shuttle missions included grade school, junior high and high
school projects; some of these included ants, stick insect eggs and brine
shrimp cysts. Other science missions in the 2000s included gypsy moth
eggs. [Top] External
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