The list of Earthlings that have survived the journeying to space includes the name of a individual cat . In 1963,Félicettemade felid and human history when she was launched about 100 mi above Earth ’s surface by France’sCentre d’Enseignement et de Recherches de Médecine Aéronautique , or CERMA . Nearly 60 eld later , the world ’s first cat astronaut has been honored with her own memorial , Space.comreports .
Félicette was a stray living on the street of Paris when she was see by scientists . After undergoing an intense preparation program — which include spending prison term in condensation chambers , small containers , and a extractor — Félicette was pick out from a pool of other feline astronaut prospect to go to blank . The mission was intend to demonstrate how the physical structure of medium - sized mammalian acted in a weightless environment .
After found in a Véronique rocket from Algeria , the black - and - bloodless cat spent around 15 transactions in suborbital space . She exist the journey and was recovered back on Earth , but two months afterwards , Félicette died when scientists withdraw electrode from her mastermind to study the neurologic effects of space travel .
Félicette was the first cat sent to space and continue the only true cat astronaut who returned to Earth alive . In 2017 , originative music director Matthew Serge Guy launch aKickstartercampaign to respect the history - do feline with her own memorial . Laika , the first dog in space , has her ownmonumentin Moscow , but no such statue had existed for Félicette .
After raising nearly $ 57,000 , the cause fill in its commission on December 18 with the entry of the Modern Félicette memorial at the International Space University in Strasbourg , France . The bronze statue , which is situated in the school ’s Pioneer ’s Hall , stand up 5 feet improbable . It show Félicette posture on a globe of the Earth , search up at what lies beyond .
[ h / tSpace.com ]
